By Your Side
by Ren Spencer
Summary: It begins with a nightmare, and ends with a promise. KuroFai, R&R!
1. A Nightmare

_**Disclaimer; I am one thirteen year old girl. CLAMP is four grown women. Last I checked, this didn't add up to me owning **_Tsubasa_**. Sorry.**_

A Nightmare

_Pain lanced through the wizard's body. Blinding, white hot pain with no outlet, reminding him of what he'd done, of what he had chosen. His breath caught in his throat. He could have prevented this. He __**should**__ have prevented it. It was all his fault. The mage forced himself to look away from the body in his arms._

"_No…" he muttered softly, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Please God, no…"_

"_To what God do you pray, Fai?" a cold voice whispered to him. "What God would want you? Who would ever want you after everything you've done?"_

_The magician didn't move, his gaze returning to the lifeless body he still held._

"_Kuro-sama," he muttered, slowly running his hand across the ninja's cheek._

"_He didn't want you," the voice hissed. "He never wanted anything to do with you. After all, you were just an annoying little bug to him, clinging to him at every turn, never giving him a moment's peace. If anything, he would have been gladdest if you died."_

"_NO!" Fai cried, looking around for the source of the strange voice. "No, you're wrong! Kuro-rin didn't hate me! He… he…"_

"_He what?" the voice snapped - his own voice, the mage realized with a shock. "Loved you? Fool. No one ever loved you. Not your parents, not Ashura, not even yourself. The only one to ever care about you was Fai, and you killed him, didn't you? Didn't you, Yuui?!"_

"_I… I…" his voice died in his throat. Everything he was saying was true, after all. And who could win an argument against themselves? He knew that no one cared about him, least of all Kurogane, that the only reason he kept him around was so he could kill him himself one day. Except that that day would never come, now._

"_Fool," the voice hissed suddenly. "You honestly believe he cared about you enough even for that? He kept you around so that the brats wouldn't cry! But now they're all dead, aren't they? And it's all. Your. Fault."_

"_No…" Fai whispered again, clutching Kurogane's body to his chest. "No… I… I never meant for this to happen…"_

"_But it did! And why? Because you were too weak to protect them. You're too weak to protect yourself," the voice whispered. "So why do you remain alive?"_

_The magus didn't answer. He couldn't. After all, there was no reason to argue with himself anymore. Everything he had said was true. It was all his fault, because he was weak, too weak, and he put everyone he cared about in danger and then relied on them to get him out of trouble._

"_I'm a burden," he whispered to himself, tightening his grip on the ninja's body. "I'm a burden and a fool, and because of me, Syaoran-kun and Sakura-chan and Kuro-tan-"_

"_They're dead," the voice finished. "Because of you. Just like everything else that happened, this is your fault."_

_All his fault._

--

Kurogane groaned as he sat up, glancing at the alarm clock beside his bed. Cursing the earliness of the hour, the swordsman immediately set out to find what had woken him up and make sure it never had a chance to do so again. Of course, he might end up getting in trouble for it later… but he'd deal with that when the time came.

Fortunately, he found the source of his early awakening rather quickly. Unfortunately, it was the mage and his stupid nightmares. Again.

Sighing, he shook the mage roughly, causing him to whimper and curl into a ball. _This is new_, Kurogane thought to himself, annoyed - not worried, _never_ worried - that he was still asleep. _Normally he wakes up, not curls into a ball._

"Kuro… sama…" the ninja heard Fai mumble. With a shock the swordsman realized that the magus was crying, and had a pillow clutched to his chest as if he were defending it from something…

_No,_ Kurogane realized with a shock. _As if it's someone dear to him…_

He had seen people do something similar before, of course. He was a ninja, how could he have not? But there was a desperation in the mage's face that confused - again, _definitely_ not worried - him. Well, whatever the reason, the fool had to be woken up before he started sleep walking.

"Hey, mage," the ninja said roughly, shaking him again. "Wake up."

Fai curled up into an even tighter ball, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed silently, a result, almost certainly, of him not wanting to worry anyone.

"Mage," the swordsman repeated, shaking him harder. "Mage!"

No response other than an increase in tears and curling even tighter. Taking a deep breath, Kurogane realized it was time for a different tactic. Leaning over so his mouth was directly above the magician's ear, he whispered softly, "Fai, you have to wake up now."

The magician let out a strangled sob.

"Kurogane… I'm… I'm so sorry…" he muttered. A feeling of dread washed over the ninja as he placed one hand on the mage's forehead, checking for signs of a fever. There were none. But he'd used his real name. Which meant something bad had happened. And it wasn't hard to figure out what.

"Fai, I'm fine," the ninja whispered. "But you have to get up, now, or ou might not know that."

The mage didn't respond for several minutes, but after a moment the ninja saw his eyes open slightly and gaze at him for a moment before the wizard was convinced what he was seeing was real and sat up quickly, running his hand over the swordsman's face.

"K-Kuro-chan?" he asked in a bewildered voice. "You're okay!"

"Of course I am," the ninja growled, standing up and stretching. "Why wouldn't I be? The only thing that happened was you waking me up with your stupid crying."

The magician grinned and lay back down, wiping off some of the sweat that had gathered on his forehead.

"Yeah… I guess so," he agreed. "Fai-mommy's sorry. Was Daddy tired from working so hard for his children today?"

Kurogane growled, a vein throbbing in his temple.

"I told you not to call me that," he warned, grabbing a clean shirt and pulling off the one he was wearing. "And that was yesterday, dumbass, it's four thirty."

"Oh, Daddy woke Mommy up early so they could spend some time together!" the magus teased as the taller man pulled on his shirt and turned to glare menacingly at him. "But you could have just said so, silly Kuro-woof."

The ninja chose to ignore this, plopping back down on his bed and closing his eyes. With any luck he'd get some sleep before the kid woke up and decided to get the feather hunt over with. He had almost succeeded when he felt something warm and slender snuggle up to his side. Opening one eye, the swordsman glared at the intruder.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, mage?" he asked, trying - rather half-heartedly, he had to admit - to push him away. "I'm **_not_** cuddling with you."

"Please?" the mage muttered, burying his face in the ninja's side. "Just in case I have any more nightmares?"

"No," the ninja said immediately, trying again - still half-heartedly - to shove him away. "Why don't you ask the manjuu?"

There was no response, and I took a moment for the aggravated ninja to realize that the wizard had fallen asleep. Sighing, Kurogane settled back on his pillows. He didn't see any real reason to fight the magician just then - he was tired, and it was fairly cold, now that he thought about it. He'd del with the kids' questions in the morning. For now, he was perfectly happy to get some sleep.

**A/N; So? How was it? Good? Bad? Reviews please? Chapter 2 is on it's way, I promise, I'll have it up by one thirty.**


	2. A Day In Hell

**_Disclaimer; I hate these things almost as much as I hate CLAMP's KuroFai fangirl crushing ways. Seriously, if I owned _Tsubasa_ this story wouldn't be here. Or would it? I wonder if CLAMP writes fanfic for their stories? And if they do, do they purposely make their characters OOC so no one suspects it? Maybe they write KuroFai fic._**

**_Back by popular(Hahaha) demand, I present you with _By Your Side_ chapter 2! And I renamed the first chapter, for those of you who care._**

A Day In Hell

The ninja awoke the next morning to find the mage still firmly attached to his side, snoring slightly, and, to his horror - yes, _horror_, not _relief_ - he looked pretty out of it. Which meant he would have to either a)wake him up, or b) lay like that until the mage woke up on his own. And as appealing as the second choice sounded - because he was _tired_, not because he was _comfortable_, dammit - he didn't want to be lying in bed all day listening to the damn idiot's snores. So, feeling slightly annoyed, the swordsman shook the mage awake roughly. Said mage blinked a couple times before grinning sheepishly up at Kurogane.

"Good morning, Kuro-chi," he said, releasing his hold on the larger man's waist. The ninja gave a soft groan as he rolled out of his bed and grabbed his sword. Unfortunately, he still somehow managed to catch the mischievous gleam in the wizard's eyes.

"No more nightmares, then?" he commented, ignoring it. The magician smiled.

"Aw, was Daddy worried about me?" he teased. "Mommy's sorry, she'll try to be careful next time."

A vein throbbed in the swordsman's temple.

"It's too early for that shit," he growled. Fai glanced at his alarm clock and smiled evilly.

"But it's past noon already, Kuro-tan," he informed, pointing to the clock. Glancing at it, the swordsman swore to himself. It was indeed past noon. Which meant…

_Oh shit_.

"Mage!" the ninja snapped, rounding on the smaller man. "Why the hell did you sleep so late?!"

Fai fake pouted.

"Kuro-rin's being mean to me!" he cried. Kurogane scowled at him.

"That's _**IT**_!" he shouted, picking up his sword and advancing toward the idiot, who seemed to realize the danger he was in and laughed before fleeing the room. The swordsman chased him through the halls of the apartment Makayla, a friend of Yuuko's, had rented for them, brandishing his sword like a club. The mage ran ahead of him, giggling hysterically.

"STOP RUNNING SO I CAN CATCH YOU, DAMMIT!!" he hollered. Fai only giggled harder and run faster.

--

By the time Syaoran and the others returned from their search, the mage had locked himself in the bathroom and the ninja had spent three hours trying to find some food in that godforsaken apartment that didn't have a ridiculous amount of sugar in it, and when he finally had, it turned out to be past it's expiration date, and had given him a headache and a desperate need to throw up everything he'd eaten in the past three years. Not that he did, of course, he was too strong for that. So now he was sitting in the living room playing what Makayla had called a "videogame". It was pretty interesting, actually. He could kill as many people as he wanted, but since hey weren't real he could get away with it. Well, usually. For some reason the guards of the towns he visited didn't approve of him killing off the citizens when they pissed him off, and they'd kick him out whenever they managed to catch him. And for some reason he had sprouted pair of black horns and was surrounded by a red aura. It was somewhat confusing.

Makayla had seemed amused by the stream of curses he let out after being forcefully removed from a town surrounded by an unbelievably dense forest.

"Kurogane-sama," she said, laughing. "You have to kill the guards who come after you, too, or else you'll be fined."

He glared at her.

"If you're so good at it," he snapped, thrusting the controller at her, "why don't you play?"

She grinned evilly and accepted the controller. Kurogane quickly became annoyed - not _jealous_, _annoyed_ - at how she managed to get away with murdering towns full of innocent civilians and left, determined to find something more interesting and less aggravating to do.

"Kurogane-san!"

The ninja turned and glared menacingly at Syaoran as the archeologist motioned for him to head toward the kitchen. A sudden feeling of dread stealing through him, the swordsman followed the kid, still glaring at the back of his head.

"What do you want?" he snapped when they reached the kitchen. He wanted to go get something to drink - Makayla had placed a no-alcohol ban on the apartment when they arrived - and he highly doubted that this would be anything pleasant. And judging by the uncomfortable looks on Sakura and Syaoran's faces and the amused expression on Mokona's, he had good reason to feel that way. Sakura glanced uncertainly at Syaoran.

"Kid! Answer me now, I need a drink and I don't want to be standing here all night," he growled, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the wall. Syaoran took a deep breath.

"You know we'll accept you no matter what, right?" he started. The ninja raised an eyebrow, praying to the gods this wasn't going where he thought it was.

"Nice to know," he said shortly. "So what the hell do you want?"

The two of them exchanged another awkward glance.

"Mokona saw Kuro-puu and Fai cuddling today!" the creature spoke up, grinning. The ninja reached over and pulled on his ears, causing he manjuu shaped thing to begin fake crying.

"Is that what this is about?" he asked over Mokona's cries of "Kuro's being mean to me!" Syaoran nodded, avoiding the swordsman's gaze. Kurogane took a deep breath as he dropped the manjuu, attempting to control his temper. Makayla poked her head in the room, grinning broadly.

"What' s this I hear? Kurogane-sama and Fai-san were _cuddling_?" she taunted. "Wow, Kurogane-sama, I didn't think you swung that way, with the way you're obsessing over getting back to Tomoyo-hime."

A vein throbbed in the ninja's temple as he rounded on the girl and shouted, "I AM _**NOT**_ OBSESSED WITH GETTING BACK TO TOMOYO-HIME, AND THERE IS NOTHING GOING ON BETWEEN ME AND THAT DAMN MAGE!"

Sakura whimpered softly as Syaoran looked at him warily and asked, "Really?"

"Yes really!" Kurogane insisted. "The damn moron had another goddamn nightmare and must of crawled into my bed after I fell asleep again!"

Syaoran sighed with relief as he somehow managed to coax he terrified princes from the cupboard she had barricaded herself in. Muttering curses under his breath, Kurogane headed for the front door, determined to not let anything else ruin his day.

"-the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends -"

_Crap._

The mage stopped singing when he spotted the swordsman. Grinning, he bounded over to him.

"Where ya goin'?" he asked in a sing-song voice. The ninja growled. He _**really**_ didn't want to deal with the mage at the moment.

"Out," he replied, opening the door. Fai slipped out ahead of him.

"I wanna come," he said, grinning broadly.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because," the swordsman snapped, annoyed as all hell by the magician's persistence, "I spent three hours searching through the damn fridge for food _**not **_loaded with sugar because we let _**you**_ do the shopping, I just had to participate in the stupidest conversation ever because of _**your**_ stupid nightmares, and even when I try to get away from you you're _**right there**_ to annoy me. You can't seem to understand that I _**hate your fucking guts**_, my head hurts like all hell, and you've been singing that _**stupid ass**_ song all day. Believe me, I understand that the fucking thing doesn't end! The question is, do you understand that I can't stand you?! I didn't think so! Now why don't you do us all a favor and go kill yourself already, save me the effort of saving your ass every five fucking minutes!"

The wizard froze, smile still in place. Seizing the opportunity, the ninja pushed past him and headed down the street, leaving the idiot alone in the middle of the road. With any luck he'd get hit by a car.

--

Fai stared blankly at the wall in his and Kurogane's room, the ninja's words still echoing through his mind.

_I hate your fucking guts…_

Well, he hadn't exactly expected much else. After all, he had never wanted to get close to them in the first place. He had no reason to feel hurt. After all, he had wanted this… hadn't he?

_I can't stand you!_

… _Damn._ He had gotten too close. Whether it was accidental or not didn't matter. If the swordsman could hurt him this deeply, he was too close. _**Far**_ too close. But it was too late to pull away now… wasn't it?

_Do us all a favor and go kill yourself already!_

Why not? It wasn't like anyone would miss him. No one ever missed the freak magician who covered everything up with a smile. But then again… No. He couldn't trouble them anymore. Especially not Kurogane. He cared about the ninja too much… _**far **_too much. It would be better if he disappeared. Sakura and the others wouldn't have to worry about him, and they'd be safe if Ashura awoke and came after him. It would be for the best…

Sighing to himself, the magician cast one quick glance out the window in his bedroom. At least it was a beautiful night.

**A/N; The worst possible place to end? Probably. And I know everyone seems a little OOC, especially Kurogane-sama, but I did my best. Drop a review for a starving author? Please?**

**P.S; Kudos to whoever can guess what game Kurogane-sama was playing.**


	3. The Missing Magician

_**Disclaimer; I do not own **_Tsubasa_**. If I did, I would be one rich little fangirl. One **_**very**_** rich little fangirl.**_

_**Warning; Kurogane-sama will be even more OOC in this chapter than the last one. Just a quick note.**_

The Missing Magician

Makayla hummed to herself as she collected the dishes from dinner. She wasn't a big fan of cleaning, but _Fable_ always put her in a good mood. And of course, she took great pride in the very, very obvious jealousy that Kurogane had practically been oozing from every pore in his body. Not that he'd ever admit to such a thing. The ninja was too proud to do such a thing. Not that it really mattered, now that she thought about it. He didn't admit to anything. Ever.

"Makayla-san?" the twenty-one year old shuddered as she turned to face Syaoran.

"Just Makayla's fine, Syaoran-kun," she reminded him, smiling brightly. "What is it?"

The archeologist frowned slightly.

"Have you seen Fai-san?" he asked. "I haven't seen him since before dinner."

Makayla frowned in turn.

"Now that you mention it," she muttered, "I haven't either. "I'll go check his room, okay?"

The boy nodded before disappearing into his bedroom. Makayla quickly headed into the back of the apartment, where the mage and Kurogane shared a room. It was empty.

Frowning deeper, the girl walked into the room and cast a quick glance around. The first thing she noticed was that Fai's unbelievably thick jacket was no longer hanging in the closet. The next was the small, neatly folded note lying on Kurogane's bed. She unfolded it, but it wasn't in any language she recognized immediately. Russian, maybe. In any case, she had no way of decoding it just then. And if her hunch was right, she wouldn't need to. All of the mage's belongings were gone, and the room was a mess, as if someone had been searching through it. She noted with vague amusement that Kurogane's bed was made neatly. So he hadn't left without saying goodbye, exactly. He'd done one more nice thing for the ninja first.

Then it hit the twenty one year old exactly what this meant.

"Damn," she muttered to herself, bolting from the room. First things first, she had to find Kurogane. He'd probably know where the magician may have gone, being the last one to see him. And she should probably tell Syaoran, too, before the boy decided that he'd find out where his friend had gone and told Sakura about his disappearance. Which, she knew, would not be good.

Sighing to herself, Makayla stuck her head in the teenagers' room.

"Syaoran-kun?" she said cheerfully, smiling brightly at Sakura. "May I speak with you?"

The archeologist nodded. Makayla smiled at Sakura again before turning to face Syaoran. She was dreading this conversation already.

--

Kurogane stared at the amber liquid he had been drinking, lost in thought. It was rare for him to be thinking so deeply, he knew, but he had a really bad feeling about… well, about _**something**_. Stupid sixth sense, acting up after a few glasses of this… alcoholic beverage. He honestly had no idea what he was drinking, being unable to communicate with anyone due to the fact the bar he was in - ironically called Sesshu(1) Shouki(2) - was out of the pork bun's translation range. Which was good, because that meant that the very pissed Makayla approaching him wouldn't be able to tell him why she was pissed, thus adding to his unknown amount of unnecessary knowledge.

"Kurogane-sama!"

And then he remembered that she was fluent in Japanese. The ninja found himself wanting to pound his head into the table he was sitting at hard and long enough to cause brain damage.

"What?" he snapped as she halted in front of him, glaring in a way that reminded him of him.

"What the hell did you say to Fai?!" she demanded, apparently not realizing that she was shouting in Japanese. Probably a side effect of spending three years in Japan after high school graduation. The swordsman glared at her in return.

"What makes you think I said anything to that damn mage?" he replied, still glaring.

"Because he left, that's why!"

The ninja took a moment to process what she'd said. _Gone?_

"He's probably exploring he city," he said after a moment, returning to his drink. Why should he care, anyway? He shouldn't. In fact, he should be glad that the magician was missing - it meant that he was leaving the ninja alone.

"He's not," Makayla said quietly, voice dripping with barely contained fury as she thrust a small note at him. "If he were exploring the city, he wouldn't have left this, now would he?"

Kurogane growled as he unfolded the paper. It was written twice - once in what was most likely the mage's native language, and once in Japanese, obviously a translation of the original message. He glared at the girl over the sheet of paper as he began to read.

And then his heart stopped.

It was only two words. Two simple, in any other situation meaningless, words.

"Where'd you find this?" he asked, throat dry. Makayla stopped redirected her glare at the bartender, who was apparently saying something she didn't particularly like.

"Dumbass," she muttered as he walked away, turning to Kurogane. "It was on your bed. Now, what the hell did you say to him, Kurogane?!"

The ninja growled at her.

"None of your buisness," he snapped, standing and pushing past her. The mage… he had to find that damn mage. He would _**not**_ deal with a crying princess and a closed off kid because of his blatant stupidity. And he would _**not**_ be dealing with a pissed off Makayla, either, because she could be just as scary as him when she was pissed. And besides all that, he was furiously irritated - not _**worried**_, dammit, the mage wouldn't die here - because the idiot had decided to take off without a word to anybody. The question he was faced with was _**why**_ he would do something so painfully idiotic.

_I hate your fucking guts!_

The swordsman slowed as he remembered what he said to the magician. The mage was an idiot, but he wasn't weak enough to take that to heart, was he? No, definitely not.

"Kurogane-san!"

The ninja turned slightly to see Syaoran sprinting toward him.

"What?" he snapped for the second time in twenty minutes. He was really starting to lose it.

"I wanted to help look for Fai-san," the kid said, eyes determined. The swordsman shook his head.

"No," he replied. "Stay with the princess. She'd get worried if we all disappeared."

Without another word the swordsman resumed his march through the town. Syaoran hesitated a moment before slowly heading back to the apartment. Kurogane glanced at him as he turned a corner. At least he'd have less to worry about now.

Sighing to himself, the swordsman resumed his search.

--

Makayla searched for the mage frantically, wondering where he possibly could have gone. He wasn't in any of the bars, wasn't in any of the stored, and he sure as hall wasn't back at their apartment. So where the hell could the mage possibly be? It made no sense for him to just take off like that, no matter what had happened. Which meant that Kurogane had said or done something so painfully stupid he didn't even realize the depth of his painful stupidity.

She closed her eyes and leaned against a nearby wall, trying to clear her head.

_If I were a depressed mage, where would I go?_ she thought to herself. _What would I do?_

No answers came to her. She just leaned against that wall, trying to cal down enough to think. Where could he possibly be? What was he planning to do? And why had he only left a note for Kurogane? There were too many questions, and not nearly enough answers. If she knew the mage a bit better, she might have found him by now.

_Think, dammit!_ she snapped at herself. _He's depressed, we know that much. And we know he's not exactly determined to live, and he doesn't want to burden the others. So if it were me…_

_The bridge._ It was so painfully obvious. If he honestly believed they'd be better off without him and didn't want to cause trouble for them, he could throw himself into the river, he'd be twenty miles away in ten seconds with how fast the current was right now. But that wouldn't kill him. Not quickly, at least. So he was probably planning on killing himself and then falling into the river. Which was the smart choice, really.

Swearing to herself, the twenty-one year old sprinted toward the bridge. Hopefully someone would get there on time.

--

It took Kurogane a slightly longer period of time to reach this conclusion. Not that it was his fault, of course. He didn't exactly know a lot about this city, so while he could figure the plan out quickly enough, he had no way of knowing where the bridge was. So it was lucky for him that Makayla appeared out of nowhere, sprinting past him in the opposite direction. It took the swordsman only a second to realize where she was going and follow her.

She was much faster than he had anticipated, however, and he lost sight of her in minutes. Cursing her to die a million painful deaths, He sped after her.

--

She was too late.

Makayla could tell that the second she saw the blood pouring from the mage's wrists. It was only by some strange twist of luck that she caught him before he plunged into the river below and managed to pull him over the edge of the railing.

"What the hell are you doing?" she hissed at him as she grabbed the sleeves of his coat and used it to try and stop the bleeding. Fai smiled weakly up at her, barely conscious. The twenty-one year old scowled as she tore the edge of his shirt off and wrapped it around his wrists.

"You're an idiot," she continued. "How do you think Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun would feel if you died?"

The mage had passed out before she finished speaking, not that that stopped her. Still muttering to herself, she realized with a shock that he hadn't only slit his wrists. There was a - rather dull, she noted - box-cutter buried eight inches in his chest, right where his right lung should be.

"_**FUCK!!**_"

--

The ninja heard Makayla's anguished scream when he was about fifty feet from the bridge. A strange feeling of dread stealing over him, he somehow managed a final burst of speed to the bridge. He froze when he saw what the mage had done to himself.

From the swordsman's hand fell a small, crumpled up note with only two words.

_Goodbye, Kurogane._

**A/N; AAAAHHHHHHHHH! Oh my god, I'm horrified at myself! I'm so sorry! I'm so very, very sorry! Please don't hate me! My nightmares made me do it! I didn't want to, I swear! Oh my god! I'm so sorry Fai! I hate this chapter! I hate Google more for giving me the idea, but I still hate this chapter. I'm gonna be having some graphic nightmares tonight…**

**Reviews? Please? So I can finish the story?**

**(1)Sesshu - sobriety**

**(2)Shouki - soberness**


	4. Five Days

_**Disclaimer; I do not own **_Tsubasa_**. That belongs to CLAMP. Nor do I own my pride. That belongs to my reviewers.**_

Five Days

Kurogane stared at the unconscious mage. It was a miracle he was alive. According to the surgeon who had operated on the wizard, he was very, very, _**very**_ lucky to have survived.

Makayla had returned to the apartment they were staying at hours beforehand to make sure the kid and princess were alright and tell them what had happened to the mage. The ninja had been assigned a bed as well - something about emotional trauma, according to Makayla. Of course, after the surgeon left she had informed him that they were afraid he might be too traumatized by what happened to the idiot mage, so they wanted to keep him in the hospital for a few days to be sure he was fine. Which, he had wasted no time in pointing out to the twenty-one year old, was bullshit. Something as small as this shouldn't faze him.

And then she'd pointed out the fact he'd said "shouldn't" and not "wouldn't" or "couldn't".

The swordsman glanced over at the magician again. He seemed… peaceful. Which was shit as well, the ninja knew. He was bound to be in excruciating pain despite whatever medication they'd given him.

… He needed a drink. Very, very badly. And he was starving.

"Hello, Kurogane-sama!" came Makayla's cheerful voice from the doorway. "I brought Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun with me!"

The swordsman turned to her, feeling unexplainably irritated by her cheerful manner. It reminded him of the unconscious mage in the next bed.

_Fai… What did I do to you?_

"Kurogane-sama," Makayla said cheerfully, poking his side. "The doctors say they'll only keep you about five days, okay?"

The ninja growled at her.

"Five days?" he repeated, a vein throbbing in his forehead. "Why the fuck am I staying for five days?"

"Because Fai should be up in six days, so I thought you might want to be there when he gets up," she explained. The swordsman growled again.

"What makes you think I give a damn when he wakes up?" he snapped at her. "If that damn mage wants to kill himself, he can deal with the repercussions himself, dammit!"

Makayla glared at him for a moment before glancing at Fai and sighing.

"Fine, then I'll be picking you up tomorrow morning," she informed him before moving away and letting the kids get to their "father".

_The second that mage is awake, I'll kill him,_ he promised himself. He somehow missed the evil smile slowly spreading across Makayla's face.

--

Kurogane groaned as he shoved his empty tray away from him. Why did hospitals have such disgusting food, anyway? It's not like cooking's all that difficult. You gather a few ingredients, wash your hands, and then begin preparing an _**edible**_ meal. He glanced over at the mage for the dozenth time in maybe two minutes. There was definitely something wrong with him. The ninja glared at the mage for a minute. This was his fault. If it weren't for him he could be sleeping in his own bed in their temporary apartment instead of sitting in this tiny hospital bed with idiot doctors coming in every hour and telling him what he already knew.

"Kurogane-sama!" The ninja really, really, _**really**_ needed a drink. How the hell was he supposed to live through this when that damn twenty-one year old child was visiting every three hours?

"What do you want?" he snapped. Which had been happening a lot in the past few hours. He snapped at everyone - the medics, the nurses, the surgeons, Makayla, Fai - the fact he was in a temporary coma didn't stop him - hell, even himself. Makayla smiled and pulled out Sohi.

"I thought he'd help cheer you up," she explained, handing it to him. The ninja grinned as he took the sword from her. Damn right it'd help cheer him up. The sword seemed to pulse in his hands, almost as if it were glad to be in the hands of its proper owner again. Which was weird, considering it had only been a few hours since he last held it.

He glanced over at the mage again. His head throbbed. Why the hell was he so concerned about him? The idiot had done this to himself, after all. He had no reason to feel any remorse. After all, it was the idiot's own damn fault. He shouldn't have taken him seriously. He should have known he hadn't meant the majority of what he'd said. But then gain, the mage was dense as all hell at times.

"What's wrong, Kurogane-sama?"

The ninja realized with a shock that he had been staring, and quickly turned back to his visitor.

"I'm fine," he muttered, running his hands along Sohi's sheath. "I was just thinking."

"About Fai," Makayla stated. The ninja flushed.

"No! Why the hell would I be thinking about that dumbass?!" he exclaimed. "I was just thinking how weird it was that Sohi's pulsing like this…"

"Oh, that," the twenty-one year old tilted her head slightly, as if listening to something. It was a moment before she frowned and said, "He's wondering what's wrong."

The swordsman growled.

"Cut the crap," he snapped. Makayla sighed and shook her head.

"You know, swords are a lot more observant than we think," she lectured, leaning over and running her own hand over the sword's ebony sheath. "They can feel what their partners feel, know things about their owners that they didn't even suspect. And they have the ability to feel as well, to trust and love, just like we do. They have their own personalities and opinions. Why do you think they're all named?"

The swordsman sighed. She'd given him this lecture before, when they'd first arrived weeks ago. He glanced at the mage yet again. Why the hell did it matter, anyway? It wasn't like he sword could help anything. Fai was still in a coma, he was still stuck here for the night, and Makayla was still as annoying as always. So no matter how much of a soul his weapon might have, it was pointless if he couldn't do anything.

_Fai…_

_What?!_

"Kurogane-sama, are you sure you're alright, you look kinda pale," Makayla said worriedly, placing her hand on his forehead. The swordsman growled at her again.

"What are you doing?" he snapped. Makayla rolled her eyes and took her hand away.

"Checking for a fever, duh. What else would I be doing?" she replied. "There is none, by the way. Maybe Sohi and I should go and let you get some sleep."

The ninja ran his hand over the sheath one more time before Makayla took it from him.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kurogane-sama," she called as she left. The ninja scoffed and lay back. Maybe he should get some sleep. After all, he'd have to be awake for Syaoran's training tomorrow.

Yawning, the ninja settled back on his pillows and waited for sleep to overtake him.

--

_Blood. There was blood everywhere. It was on his hands, under his fingernails, in his mouth, everywhere. He could hear people screaming all about him, voice filled with hatred and pain. Directed at him. Always directed at him._

_He looked down at himself, looked down at the blood covering his clothes. It was disgusting. But even more disgusting than the blood was the fact that he was __**enjoying **__this. Laughter rose unbidden from his throat as he leaned down, his hand closing around the throat of a small child who was beating at his legs._

"_Foolish boy," he hissed, slowly squeezing the life out of his victim. "You will not stop me. You will never stop me."_

_The boy forced himself to look up at his attacker, hatred lining every corner of his face, his crimson eyes burning. The magician released him, startled._

"_You…" he hissed, breathing becoming erratic. "You have __**his**__ eyes. Why? Why do you have his eyes?!"_

_The boy glared at him, a glare that was so oddly similar to __**his**__. The mage snarled and leapt at the boy, pinning him to the ground. Still his determined gaze remained._

"_You will die, you know," he whispered, hand closing around his throat once more. The child did not betray an ounce of fear._

"_I don't care, of course," the magus continued, resuming the suffocation. "Do you not fear death?"_

"_I fear nothing." Even his voice was __**his**__, filled with determination and strength. "Fear is weakness, and weakness is unacceptable."_

_Gods, he wanted that child to shut up, so he tightened his grip on the child's throat. They were so alike… the ninja he'd been the death of and this child he would kill for wearing his eyes._

"_You do," the child choked suddenly, still glaring at him. "You fear death more than anything else."_

_The magus hesitated. Then he laughed and tightened his hold even more._

"_Shut up," he hissed. "You know nothing of the horrors of this world, nothing at all. You will never understand."_

_The child did not struggle. He just glared at him. The ninja would have fought, the wizard thought suddenly. But this child didn't. The child let him squeeze the breath out of him, because he realized that struggling was pointless. Because he was intelligent enough to know when a fight was lost._

_After a moment, the boy's eyes glazed over, and the magician released him. The screams seemed to have vanished. This child… that he had so __**ruthlessly**__ murdered… he was so much like the ninja. But they were different. The ninja would have fought. The child just gave in. But there had been one time… when the ninja hadn't fought. Just once. The last battle…_

_The magician reached up to wipe the dust out of his eyes._

_His cheeks were wet._

--

He was having a nightmare.

That much was obvious to Kurogane when he woke, just past midnight, to the sounds of someone thrashing about in the bed beside him. Annoyed - still not worried, _**annoyed**_ - he ninja slipped out of bed and stood beside the mage, shaking him gently.

"Mage," he whispered. "Mage, calm down." There was no response. Scowling, he hit the button for a nurse. One appeared almost immediately.

"Can you shut him up?" the swordsman asked gruffly, glaring at her. The nurse shrank slightly at the expression on the swordsman's face but moved forward quickly and began digging through a drawer. She pulled out a long needle.

"What's that?" the ninja asked suspiciously.

"It's a sedative," she answered quickly. Kurogane growled and snatched the needle from her.

"How, exactly would that help? He's already asleep, if you didn't notice," he snapped. The nurse rolled her eyes.

"It'll help, I promise," she said, holding her hand out for the needle. Kurogane complied all to readily, "accidentally" sticking her with the needle and pumping the sedative into her.

"Oops," he offered as she slumped to the ground, unconscious, and hitting the button again. To the new nurse, he said, "Looks like she pricked herself. Can you get her the hell out of here, please?"

The nurse nodded quickly and, summoning another nurse to help her, they carried the unconscious figure out of the room.

The swordsman waited until they were out of the room before closing the curtain round both his and Fai's bed. Then, being sure no one would be able to see them, he leaned over and whispered softly, "Don't worry, Fai."

The wizard moaned softly and rolled over onto his stomach. Swearing to himself he would never do anything like this again, he lifted the magician enough for him to be able to slip into the bed beside him and sighed as the mage's head rested on his chest. Without really knowing what the hell he was ding, the ninja held the magician close and began to hum an old lullaby his mother would sing whenever he had a nightmare.

… Not that he'd ever had a nightmare.

The ninja let out a dry chuckle. Pathetic, how even now he was acting the part of the tough guy. While he was comforting a magician who was supposed to be in a coma by humming a lullaby he didn't even remember the words to. Pathetic.

He glanced down at the magician, and was surprised to see that the pained expression he'd worn was gone. He was… smiling. A real smile. A smile so beautiful the ninja thought his heart had stopped.

_Wait, what? Beautiful? This dumbass? What the hell is wrong with me?_

"Thank you," the mage whispered suddenly. Kurogane thought for a moment he had woken up, but the mage hadn't moved an inch. He was still as deeply asleep as he had been a second earlier. That same smile was still resting on his immaculate features.

_What?_ he thought again, shaking his head. There was _**definitely**_ something wrong with him. Or perhaps there was something wrong with the mage… besides the whole suicide attempt thing. He wasn't sure. In fact, there was only one thing he knew for sure.

He _**really**_needed a drink.

**A/N; What, you actually thought I'd kill Fai? I would. Maybe I'm still planning to. You'll never know… until it happens, if it happens at all.**

**I know that Kurogane is becoming more and more OOC with each chapter, but wait until Fai gets out of the hospital, things'll get better, I promise.**

**Reviews speed up the updating process. Trust me.**

**Heehee. Kurogane-sama wants a drink. And to clear up any confusion, it's been three hours since they found Fai, and yes he should have been dead by the time they got there, but that would suck if he was, cuz then I wouldn't be able to continue past this chapter and it would be completely different. Trust me.**


	5. More Mistakes

**_Disclaimer; Muahahahahahaha! I am not CLAMP, for they are the rulers of evil!! I also do not own my pride as a writer, for it is but a starving, filthy puppy that my reviewers have fed and groomed._**

More Mistakes

Makayla sighed as she waited for Fai's visitation hours to begin. The nurse had told her she shouldn't expect much from the visit, but since visiting hours started at ten and Kurogane had to stay until two - how she loved being the boss's daughter - she would, at least, be able to talk to someone while she was there.

"Makayla, you can go see him now," one of the nurses called over to her. Makayla smiled at her as she hurried through the double doors leading to the patients' rooms. Fai and Kurogane were sharing the room at the end of the ICU. Again, how she loved being the boss's daughter. And the damn ninja had better be grateful. Under normal circumstances he would have a room on the fourth story, in the psych ward. But since her father was Chief of Medicine, she'd had a few strings pulled so he could stay in a room with the mage. There wasn't as much of a chance of him killing anyone that way, seeing as no one in Raisu(1) National Hospital was stupid enough to take the bone of a starving dog.

"What the fuck do you mean I have to stay here?! Are you all fucking suicidal?!"

Kurogane was awake.

"Kurogane-sama," she cried cheerfully, jumping on his back as she entered the room and effectively handicapping his arms so he couldn't kill his doctor - Kojima, if she remembered correctly - who was hiding behind Fai's bed. "If you kill Kojima-kun?" the man nodded. "If you kill Kojima-kun you'll go to prison after here, and I won't be able to pull any strings so you can stay with Fai if you go there."

The swordsman growled and shook her off, turning all of his murderous rage toward the twenty-one year old. Makayla noted with satisfaction that he was blushing.

"What the hell do you mean, 'stay with'?!" he shouted at her. "I couldn't care less what happens to him!"

" 'Course not," she replied, still smiling. "That's why you've been guarding him like a mother would her new born child, and are worried as all hell, right?"

The ninja growled loudly at this comment and folded his arms across his chest.

"I am not **_guarding_** him," he snapped. "And I am _**not**_ worried, dumbass! Why would I be worried about _**him**_?!"

"You aren't worried?" the girl repeated, scowling. "Holy hell, Kurogane, you're one of the most worried patients I've ever seen!"

"I am _**not**_ worried, dammit!" he hollered. "Why the hell would I be worried?! It's his own damn fault!"

"Why the hell are you asking me?!" she snapped, pissed. "You're the one who's been snapping at everything that moves and arguing with the nurses about whether or not to give him more drugs! They know what they're-"

"OBVIOUSLY THEY DON'T, HEY WERE GOING TO GIVE HIM A FUCKING SEDATIVE!"

"BECAUSE IT WOULD HELP, YOU DUMBASS!"

"HE'S ASLEEP ALREADY! HOW WOULD A SEDATIVE HELP?!"

" _**HOW THE FUCK WOULD I KNOW?! BUT I TRUST THESE PEOPLE ENOUGH TO LET THEM HELP-**_"

"_**THEN YOU'RE THE BIGGEST MORON OF THEM ALL! THEY'RE ALL IDIOTS WHO THINK THAT PUTTING A COMA PATIENT TO SLEEP-**_"

"_**THEY WOULDN'T BE HERE IF THEY DDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING, MORON!**_"

"_**APPARENTLY THEY WOULD, SINCE THEY HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE WHAT'S GOING ON!!**_"

"_**THEY KNOW MORE THAN YOU DO!**_"

"_**OBVIOUSLY NOT, IF THEY THINK-**_"

"Would you both shut up?!"

Makayla took a deep breath as she turned around to face the speaker, a boy of about twelve sitting in a bed nearby. She smiled at him.

"Sorry," she apologized, gulping back the urge to shout at him for interrupting them. "Did we wake you up?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "But you were getting really loud and I didn't want you to scare my little sister any more."

Makayla smiled gently at the small girl, no older then five, and went over and crouched in front of her.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," she repeated. "I didn't mean to scare you. What's your name?"

The girl jumped as a door slammed shut. Makayla didn't need to turn to know that the swordsman had left.

"A-anna," the girl said shyly. "And my brother's name is Ben."

"Okay," the twenty-one year old said. "Nice to meet you, Anna. Why don't we go downstairs and get your brother a present, okay?"

Anna smiled as she glanced up at her brother, who grinned and lay back onto his pillows.

"Go ahead," he complied. "Just be careful."

She smiled again as Makayla stood and led her to the elevator. It would probably be best to give the ninja time to calm down, she reflected. In the meantime, she and Anna could both use some ice cream.

--

Kurogane needed a drink. He really, really, _**really**_ needed a drink.

He took a moment to consider this. He'd never needed a drink this badly before. And according to the doctor - Kojima - substance abuse was a symptom of emotional trauma. Not that he'd actually been paying attention, but Makayla had repeated the sentence over and over again until he snapped and tried to strangle her.

Then again, these people would give a sleeping man a sedative, so he couldn't be sure of that.

"Kurogane-san!"

The swordsman glared at Syaoran.

"What?" he snapped. The kid looked a little taken aback, but he smiled anyway.

"How's Fai?" Mokona asked, popping out of the archeologist's hood. "Is he okay? Yuuko says -"

"He's still asleep," the ninja interrupted. "Where the hell is the princess?"

Syaoran glanced behind him.

"We passed Makayla on our way in," he explained. "She was with a little girl, Anna, I think her name was. They said they were going for some ice cream and took Sakura-hime with them."

The swordsman growled. _Ice cream? Now? What the hell is that moron thinking?!_

"Kurogane-san? Are you okay?"

The ninja glared at Syaoran again.

"Why the fuck do people keep asking me that?" he snapped. "I'm fine, so just leave me the hell alone."

Syaoran opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, apparently deciding it would be best to drop the subject. This did not please the swordsman at all. He wanted a fight, dammit, and a good one, too. Makayla wouldn't have dropped it. She would have argued with him over it. But that wouldn't lead to a fight. It was against his moral code to hit women unless they hit him first.

_Fai would have teased me about it,_ he thought suddenly, his chest feeling as if it were about to explode. _He would have teased me and then I would have been chasing after him shouting death threats. And then he'd just laugh that stupid ass laugh and call me by some stupid nickname._

"Kurogane-sama."

The ninja snapped out of his thoughts, startled to see that Syaoran and Mokona had left, replaced by Makayla, who looked rather embarrassed about something.

"What," he snarled, not exactly pleased with her at the moment. The twenty-one year old averted her gaze.

"I wanted to apologize for earlier," she muttered, not looking at him. "It was stupid and close minded of me to snap at you like that, especially since it makes perfect sense for you to be worried about your friend."

"I wasn't worried about him," he growled almost instantly. Makayla frowned.

"You're a terrible liar, Kurogane-sama," she scolded. "Any one with a set of eyes can see how worried you are."

"I'm not worried about him," the swordsman repeated, pushing past her.

"Kurogane-sama…" the ninja turned slightly in time to see her fist sailing toward him, and barely managed to avoid it, instead getting caught by a vicious kick to the left side of his chest, leaving him gasping for air.

"You have no idea how badly I wanted to do that," she growled. "Now, get your ass back to your room and calm the fuck down, because you are _**not**_ leaving this hospital until _**I**_ say so, understand?!"

The ninja growled at her despite the lack of oxygen - she wasn't nearly as weak as she seemed, fast and powerful despite her slim figure.

"I - I'll do whatever - ever the fuck I damn w-well please," he gasped, forcing himself to straighten. Makayla glared at him.

"No, you won't because what I kicked just now was your lung," she said, smiling sweetly. "So I'm guessing that you have a broken rib or two, which means you'll be stuck here until you're all better."

The ninja glared at her, but was unable to make any moves to brush off the nurses that were pulling him back to his and Fai's room. He could hear Makayla saying to one of the nurses behind him, "Get a psychiatrist in there to talk to him when he's calmed down."

"Why?" he heard the nurse ask faintly as they waited for the elevator to arrive. He glared at the twenty-one year old as she glanced at him.

"Check for emotional trauma."

_Shit._

--

Kurogane scowled at Syaoran as he entered his and Fai's room, supported by four or five nurses. The archeologist paled slightly, turning back to the mage. The ninja growled as he shook the nurses off and fell onto his bed, his chest hurting like all hell. If she'd actually broken his ribs, he would kill her…

_Check for emotional trauma._

He had no idea why that one sentence had shaken him so badly. He wasn't worried about the trauma part - hell, he'd never been worried about being traumatized. That as practically impossible for him, any way, with everything he'd seen. What bothered him was what that could possibly mean. Kojima had explained the concept to him. If he was suffering from - he shuddered at the thought - emotional trauma, what did that mean?

"Damn," he muttered to himself. He was obsessing. Again. Over he stupidest shit. He was not "emotionally traumatized". He would _**never**_ be "emotionally traumatized". By _**anything**_. By_** anyone**_. There was no way this would scar him. He wasn't that weak.

"Kurogane, correct?"

The ninja glanced up at the sound of his name. A girl, no older than 24, smiled sweetly down at him. She looked like a mixture of Sakura and Syaoran - she had the princess's height and build, the kid's determined gaze, and Sakura's eyes.

"What?" he barked, annoyed by her already. The girl stuck out her hand.

"My name's Kaylee," she introduced herself cheerfully. The swordsman glared at her hand until she dropped it and flushed slightly.

"Um… I'm your psychiatrist," she explained, pulling a chair up and sitting down in front of him. "Makayla asked me to talk to you, to make sure you aren't showing signs of trauma."

The ninja growled at her.

"Whatever," he snapped. Kaylee smiled brightly at Syaoran.

"It'll only be a few minutes.. Um, Syaoran?" she asked uncertainly. He nodded. "Okay. It'll only be a few minutes, Syaoran, but there's this whole patient-doctor confidentiality agreement, so…"

The kid took the hint and smiled encouragingly at her as he left, Mokona hiding in his hood. As soon as she was sure he was gone, the shrink closed the curtains and turned to Kurogane, smiling.

"So, Kurogane, how do you feel?" she asked. He glared at her.

"How the hell do you think I feel? I just got my ass kicked by a girl half my size," he growled. Kaylee frowned, looking worried.

"Miss Makayla didn't hurt you that badly, did she?" the girl asked, looking concerned. "I know she seems really mean at times, but she's really nice deep down."

The ninja scoffed.

"Tell that to my ribs," he snarled, laying back onto his pillows. "The fucking bitch fucking kicked me hard enough to shatter a fucking wall."

The girl looked as if she were about to cry.

"Oh no, really? I hope she didn't hurt you, she means well, really, she's just worried about you is all."

"Whatever. Now can we get this over with?" he snapped. "I don't plan on staying here all day."

Kaylee smiled at his impatience.

"We're already almost done," she replied, sitting back. "Judging from our conversation so far, you're kinda irritable, aren't you? And judging by how you described the pain you felt when Makayla kicked you, it wasn't just her attack that's hurting your chest. I only have one question."

"What?!" he snarled. Apparently she'd inherited both the kid and the princess's personalities, too.

"Why haven't you eaten anything?"

The ninja started. _I… haven't eaten anything?_ Now that he thought about it, she was right. He had growled at the nurse who had brought um breakfast, and had skipped lunch altogether.

"I'm not hungry," he snapped after a moment. Kaylee smiled sadly and shook her head as she left. Kurogane growled at her retreating back.

--

"So?" Makayla asked Kaylee as she entered her office. The psychiatrist shook her head.

"It's a little soon to tell," she stated, "but I don't think his symptoms are from trauma. Guilt, maybe, and stress. But not trauma."

The twenty-one year old nodded distractedly.

"Then I suppose we should let him go as soon as his ribs are fixed, shouldn't we?" she said, half to herself. Kaylee hesitated in the doorway a moment before as she turned to leave.

"Makayla… you didn't hurt Mr. Kurogane that badly on purpose, did you?" she asked, glancing back at the younger girl. Makayla shook her head.

"Only enough so he'd have to stay a few days. Why, what'd he say?" she asked pleasantly. Kaylee frowned.

"He said you kicked him hard enough to shatter a wall," she said slowly, unsure of whether or not she should be telling her this. Makayla looked slightly shocked, but a pleased look came into her eyes as she dismissed the psychiatrist. Kaylee couldn't help but worry. It wasn't that Makayla was a bad person. She just had bad ways of solving things.

But then again, so did Kurogane.

--

"Fuck damn shit fuck shit damn FUCK!!" Kurogane swore as he tried to get to sleep later that night. Apparently more than a couple ribs were broken, because he was finding it impossible to find a comfortable sleeping position. He was convinced that Makayla had done this on purpose. Yes, he realized how illogical this assumption was, but at the moment the logical side of his brain had locked itself away and was nowhere to be found. He just wanted to get some sleep, dammit! So why the hell was he still awake?!

"Kurogane-sama," Makayla's voice whispered from behind him. The swordsman jumped and rolled over to face his intruder, ignoring the pain in his chest as he did so.

"What the hell do you want?!" he snapped, glaring at her. The twenty-one year old grinned.

"I know something about you that you don't know," she replied mockingly. "Wanna know what it is?"

The ninja considered snapping at her again, to yell at her to go away, but found to his horror he was unable to do so due to a lack of caring.

"Whatever," he muttered finally, sighing and rolling aver again, wincing slightly. Makayla giggled.

"Kurogane-sama's in _**lo-ove**_," she sang quietly. The ninja sat straight up and growled at her, reaching for a fork left over from the dinner he had forced down as an attempt to waste time.

"What was that?" he snapped, brandishing the fork as if it were a deadly weapon. Makayla grinned.

"I apologize, that was uncalled for," she muttered, still grinning. "What I meant to say was that there are no definite signs of emotional trauma, so we'll let you go in a couple days."

The swordsman glared at her suspiciously.

"Liar," he growled finally. "What the hell were you talking about?"

Makayla smiled sweetly at him.

"Kurogane-sama's in _**lo-ove**_," she repeated in the same sing-song voice. The ninja growled at her again.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he demanded, dropping the fork and instead pulling a needle out of a partially opened drawer. The twenty-one year old eyed it warily.

"Put the morphine down, Kurogane-sama," she said slowly. "I didn't mean to reveal your secret, I swear."

Oh, yes, she would die slowly.

"I _**don't**_ love that dumbass," he growled, motioning toward the mage with the hand not holding the needle full of pain killers. Makayla grinned.

"I never said you loved him," she smirked as she ducked under his arm and lightly tapped his ribs, causing them to scream in protest. "But maybe you should lie down before you hurt yourself."

The ninja growled at her, pulling a identical needle from the drawer.

"Ah, Kurogane-sama, that's-"

"I know that," he cut her off. " I can't sleep."

So saying, he pumped the sedative into his arm and lay back down, tossing the morphine at her. He was asleep in minutes.

--

His drug induced sleep was disturbed by the sound of a wailing heart monitor somewhere down the hall. A minute later, another went off, then another, and then another. Within five minutes every patient in the ICU had flat lined, and every doctor and surgeon on that floor was busy trying to get their patients back up. Makayla appeared across the room, a crash cart beside her as she tried frantically to revive the kid who was there - Ben, if he remembered the kid's name correctly.

He would have cared, if at that moment a high pitched scream didn't issue from behind him. Dread engulfing him, the swordsman whirled around.

Fai had flat lined.

**A/N; Hmmm… I'm sorry. I am really, truly sorry. If you review I won't let Fai die this time, either.**

**(1): Raisu is just a name I thought up while eating Raisins and watching Tsubasa. It has no meaning that I know of.**


	6. Vodka And Apologies

_**Disclaimer; I don't own **_Tsubasa_**. If I did, Kurogane-sama would be drunk often enough for me to know what he's like when he's drunk. Oh, and a quick warning; the OOCness reaches its peak in this chapter.**_

Vodka and Apologies

"_**FAI!!**_"

The ninja felt as if his own heart had stopped. _Fai… no… Fai…_

He was aware of the nurses trying to usher him out of the room, and found, to his utter horror, that he couldn't stop them. Not because he wanted to leave. Because he was still injured, and every time he tried to get past hem his body would be racked with pain completely unlike that of a few broken ribs.

"FAI!" he shouted again, trying to wake the idiot up, get him moving. "Dammit, you idiot mage!"

"Kurogane, get the hell out of here before I break your neck instead!" Makayla threatened, finishing with the boy and hurrying across to the mage. The swordsman growled.

"Dammit, I'm not leaving!" he shouted, trying to force his way through the nurses again, his chest killing him. "Move, dumbass!"

Makayla ignored him as he felt a sharp pain at his side and looked down to find one of he nurses had stabbed him with a needle. He growled as he collapsed.

_Damn…it…Fai…_

--

This wasn't good.

Makayla swore to herself as Ben flat lined again. Every doctor and nurse on this floor and the one above were occupied. Why was it that on the one day she could think of something to write(1), everything went wrong?

"Makayla, get Ben!" Kojima called to her.

"How? I'm busy!" she hollered back. The doctor glanced over at her and sighed.

"Get Ben, Makayla!" he repeated. The twenty-one year old shook her head.

"I can't!" she hollered. "I'm busy over here-"

"He's dead by now! Get Ben!"

The girl glanced down at Fai before muttering a hurried apology and returning to Ben's side.

--

Where was she?

Kaylee scanned the crowded ward, looking for Makayla. She had to be here somewhere…

"You! Go help the newcomer in bed 12!" one of the doctors snapped at her. The psychiatrist nodded, rushing toward her patient. _Bed 12… the comatose boy and his friend_, she recalled suddenly.

Kaylee was about to grab a crash cart when she spotted Makayla across from the room she was heading for, with Ben. She had to speak to her… but if she did the boy might die…

"Kaylee!" Makayla called, running into his room. "Help!"

The psychiatrist hurried after her.

"What happened to Ben?" she asked, charging the paddles on the crash cart.

"He's dead," the writer replied hurriedly. "Clear!"

Kaylee frowned, tears forming in her eyes. Makayla noticed this and gave her a swift but gentle kick to the shin.

"C'mon, let's help Fai," she suggested, charging the paddles again. "Clear!"

--

Damn nurses with their damn police connections and their damn handcuffs. The swordsman had wanted nothing more than to rush right back to the mage's side the second he woke up, but according to Kaylee, who had been waiting for him to wake up, everyone was flat lining every three minutes and it was a madhouse in the ICU, meaning he couldn't go in. And when he had tried to go in anyway one of the nurses had sedated him again and handcuffed him to the nurses station. He groaned as he dropped to the floor.

"Kurogane-sama."

The ninja leapt to his feet again at Makayla's voice.

"What the hell happened?!" he demanded. "Is Fai-"

He stopped himself. _Why the hell should I give a damn?_ he scolded himself. _It's his fault, remember? You don't give a damn how he is._

"I'm not sure…" the girl said, frowning. "Everyone just flat lined. I dunno how we managed to save the few that we did…"

Kurogane's blood ran cold.

"How many died?" he asked, glancing at the doors leading to the ICU. Makayla followed his gaze and forced a smile.

"Fai's fine, Kurogane-sama," she said softly. "You can breathe now."

The ninja growled at her.

"How many died?" he repeated. The twenty-one year old dropped to the floor, exhaustion evident on her face.

"Twelve people," she replied finally. "Twelve out of fifteen."

There was a definite edge of bitterness in her voice. The ninja glanced at her sharply.

"There are only twelve rooms," he said slowly, careful not to let the panic he felt infiltrate his voice. "And only two rooms were doubling up."

Makayla nodded.

"Ben and his roommate both failed," she muttered, grabbing a lollipop from the jar on the counter. "I'm going for drink. Wanna come?"

The swordsman glared at her.

"No," he snapped, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I want to stand here all night hand cuffed to a damn desk."

The girl removed the handcuffs and headed out to the parking lot, the ninja following behind her and rubbing his wrists. Damn hospital.

--

Three hours later, they had successfully located a bar that served good liquor and saké and were heavily intoxicated. Not that Makayla minded. Kurogane was a much better companion drunk.

"What's the deal with you an Fai, anyway?" she asked, her words slurring slightly. The swordsman shrugged.

"Nothing," he replied, taking another gulp of vodka. "He's just an annoying as all hell wizard who won't leave me alone."

The writer grinned at him.

"Sounds to me like you has a secret admirer, Kuro-chibi," she teased. The swordsman blushed.

"Th-that's the stupidest thing I ever heard!" he stuttered. Makayla laughed as she went to get another drink of whiskey, causing her to choke.

"Sounds like you has a cruush," she sang. The ninja blushed even brighter.

"I do not!" he insisted. "And - and anyway, he's got that king, back in Celes… Ashura, I think his name is."

Makayla choked with laughter.

"Kuro-chibi's jealous!" she cried, causing several of the people around them to cast dirty glances in her direction. The ninja looked as if he were going to explode. If possible, there would have been smoke rising out of his ears.

"I-I'm not _**jealous**_, you narrow minded twit," he snapped. Makayla looked confused.

"What's a twit?" she asked innocently. Kurogane shrugged.

"I don't remember," he admitted. "Maybe we should stop for the night."

"Nooooooo!" the twenty-one year old whined. "I wanna drink more! You're a meanie daddy!"

"Thas right, now drop th' liquor," he ordered. Makayla pouted as she dropped her whiskey on the table. Then her face lit up as they left the bar, leaving some money on the table.

"Kuro-chibi! Less play game!" she shouted, jumping in him. The swordsman growled softly and shook her off.

"Whatever," he complied. Makayla grinned.

"Okay, I'll ask you a question, and if you answer truthfully I'll give you ten dollars, 'kay?" she explained, squealing with delight as the ninja nodded. " Okay den, whaddaya think about Fai?"

Kurogane took a moment to consider this.

"He's not as irritating as I think," he replied finally. The writer fished around in her pockets and shoved a ten dollar bill in the ninja's hand.

"Good puppy!" she said, patting his head. "So whaddaya feel 'bout him?"

The older man remained silent.

"Kuro-chibi?" Makayla asked playfully, snatching a drink from an abandoned mini bar and downing it in one gulp. The ninja was silent a moment more before asking, "What's love feel like?"

Makayla laughed as she gulped down some more of her beverage.

"It's all warm and scary and makes you act all weird," she replied, wiping her mouth. The ninja glared at her.

"I was being serious," he pouted as she opened the door to his and the others' apartment. Syaoran glanced up at them and, finding them drunk and on the verge of collapsing, scooped up Sakura and Mokona and fled the room. Makayla faintly heard he swordsman mutter something as they headed for their respective bedrooms.

"What was that, Kuro-chibi?" she asked, forcing herself to pay attention this time. He ignored her.

--

Kurogane could tell without opening his eyes that something was wrong. Nothing jumped out at him immediately as being wrong. He was still lying in his bed in the apartment Makayla had rented, and his head was killing him, which supported the fact he vaguely recalled passing out in his room after he and Makayla had gone drinking. He couldn't hear anything other than his own soft breathing, couldn't sense anything out of place. But something was wrong. There was something missing…

_Fai._ The mage's scent was gone. Scowling, the ninja glanced up at his alarm clock. It was only two o'clock in the morning, and seeing as he had no clue when he'd gone to sleep, he wasn't sure if this was good or bad.

"Kurogane-sama," Makayla stuck her head into the room, "I have to get to the hospital, and since you're still a patient…"

The swordsman growled as he grabbed the bottle of Excedrin someone had had enough sense to leave by his bed and gulped a couple of the pills down before glaring at Makayla.

"Why the hell do you work so early?!" he snapped. The twenty-one year old grinned.

"I don't work there, Kurogane-sama," she corrected cheerfully. "I volunteer."

The ninja stared at her. The girl was obviously insane, to be volunteering at the hell-hole that was the hospital when she had a well paying career that consisted mainly of turning on a computer.

"So how are you feeling?" she asked as they walked toward the hospital. Kurogane seriously considered finding someone more annoying than this chick and congratulating them. Except that the first person that came to mind was in a coma.

"Where the hell is your fucking bike?" he snarled at her, head still throbbing. Makayla smiled up at him.

"Bikes are prohibited before six, Kurogane-sama," she reminded him. The swordsman groaned. Stupid ass rules, always ruining everything. He shoved his hands in his pockets. It was freezing out here, even for so early in the morning.

"Cold?" the writer noted, still smiling. "Shame. Guess you should have brought a jacket."

He ignored her. He figured he'd lose less sanity if he blocked her out altogether. It worked pretty well for a while as they walked along, Makayla telling him about a book she had been working on a while back despite the fact it had to be painfully obvious he was ignoring her.

_Just like that damn mage._

A strange ache shot through his chest when he thought about the magician.

"Kurogane-sama?" Makayla asked concernedly.

"What?" he snapped, glaring at her. She shook her head and returned her gaze to the street in front of her, looking somewhat concerned about something. The ninja's eyes narrowed dangerously. He'd had enough experience with the magician to know when someone was hiding something from him.

"Kurogane-sama," she said suddenly, frowning. "I'm sorry about your ribs."

He stared at her. Of all the things he'd expected her to say, an apology was the last thing he'd expected.

"Why?" he asked, stifling a yawn and wishing he'd taken more than two Excedrin as his head throbbed suddenly. She shook her head.

"I'm just saying," she muttered. The swordsman let the subject drop. Another thing he'd learned from his time with Fai and the others - push something too hard and it'll turn around, call you an annoying nickname, smile an annoyingly fake smile, and then proceed to annoy the hell out of you for a week.

There was that strange jolt of pain again.

They walked on in silence, Makayla still seemingly worried about something and Kurogane knowing better than to ask her what it was. Makayla glanced at him uncertainly upon reaching the hospital.

"Fai should be waking up today," she said after a moment. "I think it would be best if you were honest with him then."

Without another word, she disappeared inside, leaving the ninja staring after her, shocked.

Then, with a sigh, he entered the hospital and headed for the ICU.

**A/N; Reviews? Please?**

**(1) Makayla is children's book author... if anyone cares.**

**To **kuroxfaixlover**; I'm sorry, I'll definitely squeeze you request in next chapter!**


	7. Unexpected Circumstances

_Disclaimer; I do not own _Tsubasa_, and my writer's pride beith but a pet for my reviewers to play with. And I lied last time, the OOCness is far worse in this chapter, in my opinion._

Unexpected Circumstances

Kurogane shivered as he entered the ICU. It was freezing, even colder than the air outside, as if death were waiting in every shadowed corner. Which, considering what had happened two days earlier, wasn't that unbelievable. The only other people in the wing besides the remaining patients were their doctors and relatives, which were, surprisingly, very few. One would have thought that after very narrowly escaping death the whole family would turned up.

"Kurogane!" The ninja looked up from the floor in time to see Kaylee running toward him and trip in practically nothing. The swordsman caught her just before she hit the ground, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"Watch out," he snapped, making sure she was perfectly still before letting her go. "What do you want now?"

"Fai's getting better!" she cried happily. "He should be awake by tomorrow morning!"

The ninja stared at her. _He's getting... better._

"Right," he muttered, pushing past the girl and heading toward the mage's room. He noted with no small amount of relief that the room was empty with the exception of the wizard and himself.

"Damn mage," he growled as he sat on his bed and stared across the room at him. The smaller man remained completely still, the only sound that of his soft breathing. The swordsman didn't like it. He didn't like the silence that closed around them, or the strange sense of being strangled when the damn idiot hadn't responded when he'd spoken. It was unnatural, dammit. Before, even though the moron was comatose, there was never a moment of silence. There had always been people milling about, chatting with friends, checking up on patients. Now there was only the beeping of monitors and breathing to fill the empty space.

"Damn." the ninja muttered to himself. He'd been yelling at the mage to shut up since their journey had begun, and yet here he was, wishing he could hear the idiot's voice for just a second. It was stupid, he knew. But the silence was eating away at his nerves, and before he realized it he was talking to the mage in the bed across from his.

"Damn city," he growled. "I can't believe there's no automobile usage before six. And who in their right fucking mind volunteers at a fucking hospital's psych ward during the mornings, anyway? I swear, that idiot's almost as annoying as you sometimes. Hell, if she called me by all of those stupid nicknames of yours she'd practically be you."

He stopped and glanced over at the mage again. He was still asleep.

"Well, maybe not you exactly," he continued, scowling. "She's too stubborn to be you. And somehow I can't imagine you seated in front of a computer typing up a stupid children's story about princesses is distress and the knight that goes to save her and they all live happily ever after." The swordsman scoffed.

"Please tell me you aren't talking about me to a coma patient, Kurogane-sama."

The swordsman growled at the twenty-one year old as she sat on Fai's bed.

"What, you don't write shit like that?" he snapped. Makayla grinned brightly at him.

"Nope!" she replied cheerfully. "Never been good at happy endings, see."

"Right." Silence reigned as the writer checked the monitors the mage was hooked up to and jotted a few things down on a clipboard she was carrying.

"I thought you were up in the psych ward," the ninja offered after a minute. Makayla nodded.

"Volunteer work doesn't start until five," she replied, checking her watch. The ninja growled at her again.

"Then why the fuck did you insist on coming here at three in the fucking morning?!" Makayla smiled again.

"So I could check on Fai, of course," she replied easily. "And because I like the hospital, it's so… soothing."

The ninja almost choked. Yes, this chick was most definitely insane. _**This**_ place, _**soothing**_? Soothing wasn't exactly the word he'd pick. Hell was more like it. Or insane. Not _**soothing**_. Never _**soothing**_.

"So how long have you been talking?" she asked conversationally. The swordsman grunted in response, causing the writer to frown and sit down at the edge of Fai's bed.

"You know, I wasn't going to be a writer," she said suddenly, running one finger across the wizard's cheek. "I wanted to be a director. You know, travel the world making movies. But something came up at the last second… and I decided I'd rather stick with my dad than travel."

The ninja raised an eyebrow.

"I should care?" he asked. Makayla grinned.

"No, I was just saying," she replied. Kurogane glared at her a moment longer before turning his gaze on the sleeping mage. He'd done something similar before, begun telling him about his past and then dropped it.

And, as if on cue, his chest began throbbing again.

"So what happened?" he asked finally. The twenty-one year old glanced up at him.

"Huh?" she asked, smiling innocently. The ninja rolled his eyes.

"You heard me," he snapped.

"I did," the girl agreed. "But I thought you didn't care."

"I don't. Tell me anyway."

"Nope!" the twenty-one year old cried cheerfully, leaping up from Fai's bed. "I gotta go check on a few other patients."

Before the swordsman could even think of what to say to this she was gone.

"Course," he said aloud to the mage, "she does have that annoying habit of keeping things from me."

Glancing at Fai again, he could've sworn he saw a smile.

--

He was still asleep. It was almost three a.m and the bastard was still out of it.

Kurogane couldn't decide if he wanted to throw something at the nurse who came in to check on them again or laugh at his own annoyance. Either way he'd feel like crap afterwards.

_Why the fuck isn't he awake?!_ the swordsman resisted the urge to scream at the nurse, who was busy adjusting the moron's I.V. After a few minutes she left, leaving him to the tense silence that had settled in the room. Kurogane had long since abandoned his attempts at sleep and was instead pacing back an forth in front of the mage's bed, trying to figure out why everyone had flat lined almost simultaneously. Makayla probably knew something about it, with how troubled she'd looked when they'd arrived. Which meant it obviously wasn't normal. Yet everyone had seemed unconcerned afterword… so what the hell had happened?

Groaning with frustration, he grabbed Fai's chart and read it over. Someone - and he had a pretty good idea who - had translated everything into Japanese for his benefit, not that that helped much. Makayla had made it her job to teach them all as much as she could about the medicine of this world, but the ninja had never been one to remember anything related to healing.

_Weird, though,_ he though, frowning. _Ever since the dumbass's suicide attempt I've been able to remember some of it… why?_

"Kurogane-san?"

The ninja whirled around, dropping the clipboard on the mage's bed. Syaoran and Sakura were standing in the doorway, both shivering and wet.

"What the hell happened to you?" he snapped, grabbing his blanket and tossing it to them. Sakura flushed and looked down at the floor, seemingly embarrassed.

"W-well, Makayla-san said Fai was supposed to wake up soon, and-" she started, still looking at the ground.

"We wanted o come see him," Syaoran finished for her, taking the blanket and wrapping it around her shoulders. "It started raining a few minutes ago, and we didn't have anything to keep dry under-"

"And yet the princess isn't nearly as soaked as you are," the swordsman cut him off. The archeologist flushed and grabbed a nearby towel in an attempt to distract himself.

The swordsman sighed and lay on his bed, hoping to get some sleep. _If the kid likes her so much why doesn't he just tell her already?_

"Kurogane-san, have you ever noticed how much like Fai-san Makayla-san looks?" Sakura asked suddenly. The swordsman stared at her.

"Hell no she doesn't look like that dumbass," he snapped. "For one, her hair's black, not blond -"

"Like Kuro-puu's!" Mokona emerged from Syaoran's cloak and leapt at the swordsman. "And her eyes are blue!"

Kurogane growled as he pulled the manjuu off him and threw him at Syaoran.

"I don't give a damn!" he snapped. "The moron could look like Tomoyo and I wouldn't even glance in her direction! Now leave me he hell alone!"

Silence filled the room. Awkward, uncomfortable silence that was only broken when Sakura suddenly dropped off to sleep. Kurogane growled softly as Syaoran scooped her up and deposited her on his bed.

"Why do you do that?" he asked suddenly. The archeologist raised an eyebrow at him as hr carefully covered the sleeping princess with a clean blanket.

"What do you mean?" he replied softly. The swordsman rolled his eyes.

"Take care of her like…" he paused while he tried to think of the phrase. How had Makayla put it? "Like a mother would her new born child?"

Syaoran looked shocked at his choice of words and let out a poorly controlled laugh.

"Shut up and answer the question," Kurogane snapped, scowling. The kid stopped laughing immediately and glanced back at Sakura.

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked. "She's my princess, after all. If she were to die my country would suffer greatly."

"Bullshit," the swordsman growled. "Now tell me the truth."

The archeologist looked startled for a moment, but then he smiled sadly at the sleeping girl.

"She's my best friend," he muttered, more to himself than the irritated ninja. "I love her. Why wouldn't I want her to be safe?"

The swordsman remembered how he'd said something similar when they'd first met, in Yuuko's shop.

"Love, huh?" Syaoran glanced at his friend and was startled to see that for the first time since Fai had been injured he looked… sorrowful.

The ninja felt Syaoran's gaze and scowled at him in an attempt to make up for lost dignity. The archeologist looked hurriedly away, and Kurogane couldn't help but smile triumphantly as he glanced at Fai again. Still asleep.

--

"Kurogane-sama!" Makayla's cheerful voice broke through the half sleep the swordsman had fallen into. He shook himself awake and glared at her.

"What?" he growled, taking note of his surroundings. Syaoran was asleep in a chair beside Sakura, who was in his bed, and he found himself, surprisingly, on the floor by Fai, who was still asleep. Makayla was leaning over him, her blue eyes clouded but an unfaltering smile on her lips. Like Fai's. Too much like Fai's for his comfort.

He hit her.

The writer stumbled backwards into his bed, shock etched into every inch of her face, causing Sakura to come awake with a start, which in turn woke Syaoran. She clutched at the shoulder his fist had come in contact with as she pushed herself off of the princess and frowned at him.

"What was that for?" she snapped at him, massaging her shoulder. He inhaled sharply.

_What the fuck is wrong with me?!_

--

"Are you alright, Makayla-san?" Sakura asked, worry filling her voice. The twenty-one year old smiled at her as she went to check that her shoulder was still intact.

"Makayla's fine, Sakura-chan," she said gently, stopping her finger's search for brakes or fractures. "And I'm perfectly alright, just a little startled."

She glanced up at the sound of the door being opened in time to see Kurogane leaving. He slammed the door shut behind him.

"Are you sure?" the princess persisted. Makayla smiled again.

"I'm _**fine**_, princess. See?" she insisted, flexing her arm. She regretted it instantly as the bone howled in protest, but she struggled to keep her face smiling so as to avoid worrying her friend. Syaoran frowned.

"I wonder what made him go off like that?" he muttered, staring after the older man. Makayla turned her gaze to Fai, who was crying in his sleep.

"He's afraid…" she muttered to herself. Sakura looked back to her, asking, "Huh?"

Makayla shook her head and frowned at the mage. "Nothing, forget about it."

--

_Shit! ShitshitshitshitshirshitshitSHIT!! What the fuck is wrong with me?!_

The swordsman growled at the male nurse passing by him. The man cringed slightly but continued on his way as the ninja passed by him. Kurogane glared at another nurse as he passed her.

_What the hell is wrong with me, dammit?!_

"Kurogane!"

_Ah shit. Here comes Saku-clone to dig through my head._

"What do you want?" he snapped at Kaylee as she walked toward him. The smile she'd been wearing faded, and she looked down at the floor, apparently ashamed of herself for something.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "I didn't mean to offend you."

Kurogane closed his eyes, counted to ten, and then imagined Sohi slicing through a demon's body. There, much better.

"It's not your fault," he muttered, glaring at a nearby payphone. Kaylee glanced up at him and smiled brightly.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the museum!" she said cheerfully. "They're having a special exhibit on ancient weaponry right now, and I remembered how you like swords, so I thought you'd be interested in coming with my nephew and me!"

The swordsman raised an eyebrow.

"Like on a date?" he asked. The psychiatrist flushed.

"N-no, of course not!" she exclaimed, turning bright red. "It's just that… well…"

"Well what?" the ninja growled. Kaylee turned an even brighter shade of red.

"I thought you were looking really sad lately, and…" she muttered, staring down at the floor. The ninja shut his eyes again. Great, he was worrying everyone.

"Why not," he accepted, shoving his hands into his pockets. "How much'll it cost?"

The girl beamed up at him.

"It's free, silly," she said. "Let's go!"

The ninja followed after her as she lead the way out of the hospital and down the street. A small boy was waiting for them at the corner leading to the museum. He grinned when he spotted.

"Aunt Kaylee!" he cried in greeting, giving the shrink a hug before turning to the ninja.

"Hiya, Mister!" he greeted. "My name's Seth, what's yours?"

"… Kurogane," the swordsman replied, nodding slightly in his direction. Seth grinned brightly, brushing his ebony hair out of his face to reveal bright red eyes.

"You look like my grandpa!" he said cheerfully as they started walking. " 'Cept your shorter than him and your hair's black instead of gray!"

The ninja nodded absent mindedly, not really paying attention. He didn't particularly care about how much like his grandfather he looked. He already knew there were different versions of him in each world, so there was no point in asking him about it.

"I mean, Mommy told me about you, of course, but I didn't really believe her," he continued. This caught the ninja's attention.

"Your mom knows me?" he asked, curious as to who could possibly turn out such a hyper active child.

"Yeah!" he replied, apparently pleased that he'd managed to capture his attention. "She writes stories about angels who were kicked out of heaven and demons who chase after them. They always make Aunt Kaylee cry."

The psychiatrist flushed.

"They're so sad!" she explained hurriedly. "Her last book was about an angel named Jason and his sister named Mayu, and demons called silencers captured her and killed her and when Jason found out about it he went to stop them and he died, too!"

The ninja raised an eyebrow.

"And this is a children's story?" he asked in disbelief. Kaylee nodded hurriedly as they entered the museum and got in a nearby elevator.

"The exhibit's on the top floor," she explained. Seth nodded energetically.

"It'll be so awesome! Mommy's using some of these swords in her new story, we were here a couple days ago," he said, grinning up at the swordsman. " You look like you know a lot about swords. Are you really a ninja?"

Kurogane glanced down at him.

"Who told you that?" he asked, not really caring. Kaylee sighed.

"Makayla did, didn't she, Seth?" she announced cheerfully. The ninja glanced down at the child. So this was Makayla's kid, huh? She'd never said anything to him about it before. Not that she would, of course. And this explained why she rented an apartment for them instead of letting them stay in her's. The elevator stopped and the three of them got off.

Kurogane was in heaven.

There were swords everywhere. Some were locked safely in thick, glass display cases, wile some were hanging on the wall with no protection at all. A brunette stood in the center of the room, a katana in his hands, allowing the spectators surrounding him to run their hands along the sheath. The ninja joined them and with a pang of annoyance realized the idiot was holding it wrong.

"Hey, moron!" he called to him. The man turned to him and smiled brightly.

"Yes?" he asked pleasantly. The ninja gestured toward the sword.

"You're holding it wrong."

"Oh?" the man grinned at him. "Would you happen to this Kurogane that Makayla was telling me about?"

"That depends," he replied, coming closer. "What did she say?"

"She told me that you were a master of the sword," he answered easily, still smiling. "You wouldn't mind demonstrating, would you?"

The swordsman's eyes narrowed.

"Demonstrate where?" he asked, curious.

The brunette laughed.

"Outside, of course," he chuckled. Kurogane grinned.

"Do you have something I can demonstrate on?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Then I'll do it."

Within ten minutes everyone was gathered outside to watch the ninja. The man - a historian, it turned out, named Alex - had found several old crates of paperwork the ninja could use as dummies and had brought them out beforehand. Kaylee grinned as he took the sword Alex held out to him, a silver longsword with a phoenix engraved in the hilt, a single sapphire eye staring up at him. Smiling to himself, the ninja attacked.

--

Seth watched the ninja in awe. He was like a breeze, destroying each box and moving on to the next one in seconds. In under a minute all of the crates lay on the ground, utterly destroyed.

The four year old decided right then and there he'd become just as strong as the ninja.

--

Sakura watched Makayla worriedly as the author checked on Fai, a worried look crossing her face briefly before grinning broadly at the princess.

"He's fine, princess," she announced, plopping in a nearby chair and wincing as her arm hit the back of it and sent a jolt of pain through her shoulder. Sakura frowned. It was obvious that her shoulder was in pain, so why didn't she say anything?

"Makayla-san…" she said worriedly. The writer flinched.

"Just Makayla, Sakura-chan," she reminded. "It sounds weird when you add a suffix to my name."

Sakura blushed slightly.

"Well, um, Makayla, are you sure you're okay?" she asked. Makayla smiled at her.

"I'm perfectly fine, Sakura-chan," she said again. "My shoulder's only a little sore, it's nothing that a little Ibuprofen can't fix."

"Then I'm not apologizing."

Sakura jumped at the voice and turned to see Kurogane scowling at them, accompanied by Kaylee and a small black haired boy with red eyes, wearing a light blue T-shirt and a pair of denim jeans

"Seth?" the writer cried cheerfully, causing the princess to jump again. "I missed you!"

The little boy ran toward the author and climbed into her lap, giving her a big hug.

"Hi, Mommy!" he greeted, pulling away from her. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, big guy!" Makayla replied, hugging him close. "What are you doing here?"

Seth grinned broadly.

"Auntie Kaylee took me to the museum with Kurogane to see the swords again!" he explained. "And Kurogane was so cool! Mr.Alex was holding the sword wrong and when Kurogane corrected him he was allowed to demonstrate outside, Kurogane I mean, not Mr. Alex, and he was so cool! Mr. Alex found some boxes of junk and Kurogane was allowed to cut 'em up, and he was so cool, it was like he was the wind or something, like a bullet quick, and he cut 'em all up really quick and then… well, then we got kicked out, 'cause he was actually cutting up really important paperwork, but it was so cool, Mommy, you shoulda seen him!"

Makayla laughed as she picked her son up an stood.

"I'll take your word for, it," she said, kissing his cheek. "I'm almost done, so why don't we go get some ice cream later?"

"Yay!"

Sakura smiled as the author sent the boy out with Kaylee and turned toward the Kurogane, who was seated in the abandoned chair by Fai's bed.

"Thanks," she said, smiling. "It's been a while since he was so excited about anything."

The ninja grunted in response. Sakura beamed at her friend.

"You never told me you had a son!" she cried. "He's so cute!"

"Thanks," she replied, giving the smaller girl quick hug. "Would you like to get some ice cream with us? I'm sure Syaoran wouldn't want you to be bored out of your mind when he got back from his feather hunt."

The princess blushed and glanced at Kurogane.

"Um, Kurogane-san, would you like to come?" she asked hopefully. The swordsman shook his head. The princess's heart fell. She'd been hoping to get him to cheer up a little.

"We'll bring you something back, okay?" Makayla spoke up. "Maybe some mint and chip."

"I don't -" the ninja began.

"Yeah, but you need to cheer up, and ice cream makes everything better," she interrupted. Sakura smiled at her friend as they left. Kurogane glanced at them once.

--

Kurogane sighed. It had been barely half an hour since they'd left, and he was still sitting there, unwilling to leave.

_I love her. Why wouldn't I want her to be safe?_

Syaoran's words came unbidden to his mind.

_Good for you, kid. That doesn't help me, 'cause I sure as hell don't love this moron._

The ninja glanced up at the clock. It was barely one in the afternoon and he'd destroyed unknown amounts of valuable paperwork and probably bruised Makayla's shoulder. What was wrong with him?

_Judging by how you described the pain you felt when Makayla kicked you, it wasn't just her attack that's hurting your chest._

Dammit. They were all wrong. He _**didn't **_love this idiot. There was no way he could _**ever**_ love this idiot.

The sound of Fai stirring diverted his attention back to the magician. He was waking up.

--

_Light? What's it doing here? Why can't I reach it?_

The magician could feel a warm pressure on his hand, he could smell sweat and disinfectants, could hear someone speaking to him nd the loud _**beep**_ of a monitor. But his eyes… they wouldn't open.

Slowly, he was able to distinguish the speaker as Kurogane.

"_Mage! Goddamn it you moron, get up!_" he was saying.

_I'm trying to, Kuro-tan,_ he tried to say, but all that came out was a soft moan. The voice grew stronger.

"_Mage, get up!_" Fai realized with a shock that he was speaking directly into his ear, and now he could feel the ninja's warm breath on his neck as he whispered, "_Fai, get up, please._"

_He's begging me,_ the magician realized with a shock. _But why? He hates me. He's always hated me. He said so himself…_

"_Fai…_"

Fai struggled to open his eyes, to look up at the ninja, and after a few minutes of intense effort they opened, just barely, but enough for him to see the swordsman. He tried his best to smile at him.

"I- I'm O-okay…K-Kuro-r-rin," he whispered finally. The ninja looked him over once before he smiled.

"I should've known," he muttered, leaning back. "You've been sleeping a while now, mage."

Fai linked once and then smiled weakly up at his friend.

"I can tell," he returned weakly. "But… why d-does my chest hurt?"

"Does it?" the ninja asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "I can't imagine why. You only had a fucking box cutter in your lung."

The magician laughed softly and struggled to open his eyes the rest of the way. He was laying in a hospital bed. Kurogane was seated beside him, his hand still clutched in the ninja's firm grasp. An I.V drip was attached to his arm, and another bed was a short distance away was another bed, probably another patient's.

"Never do that again," Kurogane growled suddenly, tightening his grip on the other's hand. Fai winced slightly as he remembered why he was here in the first place. He smiled coldly at the ninja.

"I was only trying… to do you a favor," he replied, trying to pull his hand from the ninja's grasp. Unfortunately, he hadn't quite regained control of his arms.

"You wanna do me a favor?" the ninja repeated. Fai blinked again and glared at him.

"Well, you-" he stopped as the ninja leaned forward until their mouths were barely an inch apart.

"You honestly think that would have helped anyone, dumbass?" he growled. Fai could hear the anger and pain in his companion's voice, could see it in his eyes.

"You said-" he started.

"I lied!" the ninja cut him off. "How could you honestly think I was telling the truth?!"

Fai didn't answer. Kurogane leaned back and glared at him, a soft growl rising from his throat as he clenched his fists. The magician closed his eyes against the expected blow.

Except that it never came. He cracked one of his eyes open in time to see the swordsman yank him off the bed.

"You're an idiot," he growled. And, before the wizard could think up a reply, he kissed him.

**A/N; That was really long… but was the end worth it? I should hope so, I ended up changing the story line quite a bit for this… I hope you're happy!!**

**Reviews Continuation. Just so you know.**


	8. The Ninja's Pain

_Disclaimer; If I were CLAMP, Kurogane would have killed Syaoran-clone after he ate Fai's eye. And any pride I have as a writer comes from my reviewers. And the brief break from OOCness we experienced at the end of last chapter is over. Fear it._

The Ninja's Pain

Time stopped as the mage was pulled closer. He was losing himself, he knew, in the smell of sweat and leather he'd come to associate with the ninja. He was losing himself in the ninja's scent, the taste of his lips as the swordsman explored deeper into his mouth with his tongue… and it scared him.

He tried to push the ninja away, but his arms were still hanging limp at his sides, unresponsive. The mage panicked. He did the most childish thing he could have imagined possible.

He bit his tongue.

The ninja pulled away, swearing, and Fai fell back onto his pillows, taking deep breaths to calm himself and glaring at Kurogane.

"What… are you doing… Kurogane?" he snapped, voice shaking. The ninja glared at him a moment before turning and opening the door.

"Nothing," he muttered, slamming the door behind him. The magician bit his tongue to avoid the insane laughter rising in his throat as his eyes filled with tears.

_God… I __**am**__ an idiot._

He couldn't keep it back any more - he laughed, tears streaming down his cheeks.

_I'm an __**idiot**__._

--

Kurogane had the uncontrollable urge to hit something. Balling his right hand into a fist, he buried it in the wall nearby, relishing in the destruction it brought. There was a hole there now, and you could see the pipes that brought water and power into the ICU. He grinned in satisfaction. It hadn't helped much, but it felt better than anything else he could've done.

"What the hell's your problem?"

Kurogane whirled to face the speaker, a blonde haired man in his teens with red eyes. He grinned.

"Girlfriend dump you?" he continued, an emotionless look on his face. "It doesn't matter. I doubt you'd like it if I found your home and punched a hole in _**your**_ wall, would you?"

The ninja growled at the stranger, his own red eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Who the hell are you?" he snapped. The boy ignored him.

"You're the one that attacked my sister, aren't you?" he demanded. "All because she was _**worried**_ about you."

The swordsman growled louder and took a threatening step forward.

"You don't scare me, Kuro-bozu," the child muttered, glaring at him. "My father was just like you - an overgrown bullying ass."

"_**EVRON!!**_"

The ninja and teen both turned toward the source of the voice to see Makayla and Sakura standing there, Sakura carrying Seth. The writer was shaking as she approached her brother and slapped him.

"Don't you _**ever**_ talk about our father like that," she growled, fury emanating from her like in a wave. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

The teenager - Evron - scowled.

"I came to see Dad," he muttered. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get going."

He took off down the hall, running past Sakura, who narrowly avoided him.

"What the hell was that about?" Kurogane muttered, frowning. Makayla smiled sadly up at him as Sakura came over to them.

"I see you've met my brother," she commented dryly, taking her son from the shaking princess. "Pleasant, isn't he?"

"No," the swordsman growled instantly. "What the fu-"

"He wasn't exactly… well liked…in our family," the author interrupted, cutting him off. "He was always getting in fights with our father about the way he treated his mother. Apparently he never realized that that was just how he was to everyone. Even now…"

She let the sentence hang unfinished in the air.

"But anyway, I heard Fai woke up!" she said cheerfully. The ninja tensed, remembering what had happened.

"Yeah," he muttered, turning to leave. "Have fun."

"Didn't you want to talk to him?" the writer asked, surprised.

"I did," he snapped. "And now I'm going home."

The twenty-one year old stared at him a moment before shaking her head.

"Fine," she mumbled. "I'll call the apartment later. There's saké in the fridge if you want any."

"Fine," the swordsman growled, turning to leave.

"Um… Kurogane-san?" Sakura's nervous voice came from behind him. Kurogane turned to face her, still scowling, to have a bowl of ice cream thrust at him.

"Um… they had sugar free vanilla ice cream at the store we went to…." she mumbled. The ninja shut his eyes and took the bowl from her.

"Thanks, princess," he muttered, turning and leaving.

"Bye bye, Kurogane!" he heard Seth call after him. "Get better soon!"

The swordsman smiled ruefully. _Damn observant kid._

--

Makayla smiled at Fai as they entered the room, putting down Seth, who immediately climbed onto the magician's bed and hugged him.

"Hiya, Mister!" he greeted. "My name's Seth. We got you some ice cream!"

The author grinned at the surprise that stole its way into the mage's features as the boy thrust a bowl of mint and chocolate ice cream topped with whipped cream, chocolate chips, fudge sauce, sprinkles, and strawberries at him, a spoon sticking out one side. Then he smiled at the child.

"Thank you, Seth," he said weakly. "My name's Fai."

Seth beamed.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Fai!" he said loudly. "Mommy says that you shouldn't be able to move your arms yet 'cause you just woke up. Is that true?"

The mage laughed.

"Yeah, I'm afraid so," he smiled apologetically. Seth gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment before smiling brightly again.

"Okay then, I'll help you!" Without waiting for the wizard to reply, he scooped up a spoonful of ice cream and shoved it into his mouth.

Makayla had to resist the urge to laugh as the cold treat hit the mage's throat and he shivered, his face contorting with surprise and pain. It was a moment before he managed to force the snack down and he smiled at Seth.

"Thank you, Seth," he said, voice stronger than it had been earlier. Sakura managed to catch the bowl as the child knocked I over when he went to give the mage another scoop of ice cream.

"Honey, let's give him smaller bites, okay?" the twenty-one year old suggested to her son. He nodded enthusiastically and knocked the bowl over again as he tried to put half of the spoon's contents back. Makayla chuckled as she caught it and took his hand gently

"Here, like this," she instructed, guiding his hands toward the edge of the bowl and gently scraping some of the ice cream off the top. Fai and Sakura watched them closely, Sakura to make sure the bowl didn't fall again, and Fai because of how happy she looked with her son.

After he'd gotten the hang of it, Seth continued to feed the mage until the bowl was half empty and Fai grinned at him.

"I'm done, thank you," he said cheerfully, smiling brightly.

His eyes screamed.

--

Sweet, sweet escape.

Kurogane grinned into the bottle of saké he was busy emptying. He was going over board, he knew, but right then, he wanted nothing more than to go overboard, to forget everything in the sweet taste of alcohol.

Still grinning, the swordsman struggled to his feet and grabbed a fresh bottle of saké before heading into the living room and picking up the bowl of ice cream Sakura had given him. It was almost completely melted, so the ninja put the bowl to his lips and let the liquid run down his throat.

It tasted like shit.

--

"Kurogane!"

The ninja came awake instantly, eyes flying open and then shutting again when the light hit them. His head throbbed, causing him to growl softly.

"Hung over much?" Makayla's voice came from the doorway, sending shivers down his spine and a jolt of pain through his head. Kurogane groaned as he opened his eyes again to glare at her.

"What do you want?" he snapped at her.

"Fai was asking about you yesterday," she growled. The ninja's heart skipped a beat as he narrowed his eyes in an attempt to block out the sun's light.

"Yeah? What'd the dumbass want?" he asked, trying his best to sound uncaring. Makayla glared at him.

"He wanted to know why you cared."

The ninja was silent. Why he cared…? That was a good question. He'd told himself over and over again that Fai meant _**nothing**_ to him, he was only an irritating distraction from reality. And yet here he was, drinking himself into oblivion.

"Kurogane-sama…" the writer said softly, sitting beside him and staring off into space. "Go see him later."

The swordsman didn't answer her. After a moment the twenty-one year old got up to leave, hesitating for a moment at the door.

"I think he wants to see you."

She vanished as the ninja rolled over onto his stomach.

_If he doesn't mean anything… then why does it hurt?_

**A/N; I'm so sorry! I meant to include Makayla's past… but the OOCness totally took over. And I doubt anyone'll care anyway… actually, they might… you decide. Anyway, from now on the OOCness will get better, I promise.**

**Review and Kurogane-sama will stop acting like an insane masochistic moron, and you can see more(or less?) of Evron.**


	9. Truth And Lies

_Disclaimer; I do not own _Tsubasa_. And my pride belongs to my reviewers. Still. And in this chapter we'll be learning a little more about Makayla and Evron, if anyone cares._

Truth And Lies

Kurogane went to see the mage a few days later.

He had no real reason why he'd put it off so long, but he had somehow found a way to put it off until Makayla and a sobbing Seth had shown up after visiting a withdrawn Fai, and the writer had with held the saké he'd been drinking until he promised to go and see him. Even then he was considering staying home, not wishing to see the idiot so soon, but Makayla had shown up at three and dragged him out of the house, talking all the way there about her newest story. So not only was he awake and outside the mage's room, he was awake, outside the magician's room, and he could have recited stupid story from beginning to end if he wanted to. Which he didn't.

"Kurogane-sama!"

The ninja glared at the writer.

"What?" he snapped, wishing he could be back at the apartment with a bottle of saké, playing _Fable _and ignoring the mage's existence.

"Hurt him and you'll regret it," she warned, smiling briefly before getting in an elevator nearby and waving as the doors closed. For moment the swordsman considered leaving, but he discarded the thought quickly. If he left he'd be running away, and ninja didn't run away from sick men.

Sighing, he walked into the ICU and shivered. Gods, it was _**freezing **_in there. Apparently all the new patients didn't help much with the temperature. At least it wasn't silent anymore, though. That was something to be grateful for.

He was about to open the door to Fai's room when it was pulled open from inside, revealing the blonde haired kid he'd had a run-in with in the hospital - Evron, Makayla had called him. He was smiling cheerfully, but there was something about that smile that put the ninja on edge. "What are you doing here?" he snapped, glaring viciously at the child, who looked up at him, that same smile on his face.

"Hello, Kuro-bozu," he greeted calmly, as if people who were twice his size glared daggers at him often. _Which isn't unlikely, for this ass_, the swordsman realized.

"What are you doing here?" he repeated, wishing he had Sohi with him. But Makayla had dragged him out of the house before he had a chance to grab the sword, leaving him weaponless yet again.

"I was just having a chat with your friend," he replied pleasantly, sill smiling. "He's a very… interesting man. It's too bad he's stuck with someone like you."

The ninja pinned him against the wall by his throat, a look of murderous rage settling in his crimson eyes.

"Leave him alone, bastard," he hissed, Evron just smiled at him some more.

"Now you look exactly like him," he whispered. "I wonder how long it'll be before you snap, too."

The swordsman growled dangerously, clenching his fist.

"Kurogane, leave him alone," Fai's said suddenly. "He didn't do anything wrong."

The ninja growled at him one last time before dropping him and entering the room, shutting the door behind him. The for the first time since he had arrived, he looked at the mage.

His heart stopped. The magician was dead white, his usual smile gone from his face. His blue eyes were downcast, staring at his sheets in an effort to avoid the ninja's gaze.

"What happened?" he asked, walking closer to the magician. "What did that bastard do to you?!"

The mage shook his head and smiled up at the concerned ninja.

"Nothing," he replied, grinning. "Was Kuro-woof worried about me?"

"Lies." The ninja spoke without thinking, anger tearing at him - anger at that bastard for hurting the mage, _**his**_ mage, and anger at the mage for hiding it from him. Fai's smile faltered slightly.

"I'm fine, Kuro-tan," he insisted, picking up a napkin and folding it into an airplane that he sent soaring around the swordsman's head. Kurogane growled and snatched the plane from the air, tossing it back at him.

"Whatever," he muttered, turning to leave. "If you want to be an idiot, that's your problem. Just don't drag others down with you."

He could see the surprise and hurt that crossed the magician's face in he window's reflection as he left.

His heart ached.

--

Makayla grinned at the woman she was helping.

"It's nice to see you again," she said conversationally. "I'm sorry I haven't been here lately, I'm taking care of few lost birds for a while. Two of them are such a hassle, too. Always making the stupidest mistakes and not even realizing it. It makes me wonder if Dad had the same problems with Father, both of them acting like fools only to go back and regret it later."

The women smiled at her as the writer brushed her black hair out of her face.

"Did they have the same problems?" Makayla continued, brushing her audience's hair. "I can't be sure. Maybe. I wonder, though, if maybe they had even more problems, what with Raisu's policy on gay couples back then. It was lucky for them that the laws changed before I was born, or they might have gotten into some real trouble. It makes me wonder, sometimes. What if the laws had remained the same? How would our lives be any different?"

"Don't worry about what could have been, Kayla," the black haired woman said calmly, smiling up at her helper. "You should always be grateful for what you have."

The twenty-one year old grinned at her in return.

"It occurs to me," she said suddenly, helping her into the kitchen for breakfast, "I never thanked you for being the surrogate, Daidoji-san."

--

Evron growled as he spotted his sister leaving Tomoyo's room. She always insisted on visiting her every day in the hopes hat she could help, and for a while it had been working, until they decided to let him in to see her. He laughed bitterly at the memory. His own mother, relapsing at the sight of him. It wasn't fair. He was always the one thrown out in the cold, the one rejected by everything.

"Makayla!" he called after her. She froze, and he could tell she was trying to force a smile as he drew ever closer, smiling to himself. The author finally turned toward him, beaming brightly.

"Hello, Evron!" she greeted with that fake cheerfulness she'd inherited from their father. He growled at her. She had no right to act cheerful, especially not in front of him. Very well. He knew how to hurt her just like he'd hurt that idiot mage who had the nerve to wear his father's face. He grinned at her.

"I met Fai today," he said conversationally. "He was a very interesting plaything, I must admit. It took a while for even me to finish with him."

His sister paled.

"What did you say to him?" she snarled, clenching her fists. The teenager smiled triumphantly. She was much easier than the magician.

"I didn't say anything to him," he replied. "Not that he didn't already know, at least."

Her eyes narrowed.

"What did you say to him?" she repeated, voice shaking with barely contained anger. Evron drew a sick satisfaction from her hatred, he used it to strengthen himself. Smiling, he walked over to his sister and ran one hand along her cheek, sending shivers of repulsion down her spine.

"I only told him the truth," he whispered, smiling evilly. "I simply reminded him that he was a murderer unworthy and incapable of being loved, and that he only presented s burden to those he cares about."

The writer jerked away from him, eyes wide with horror.

"Why?" she snapped. He ignored her.

"That ninja was there, too," he continued. "He's so like your father, isn't he, Makayla? So much like the bastard who drove my mother into insanity."

The author growled threateningly.

"You don't know anything, you sick freak," she hissed. Without another word she turned nd ran down the hall toward the elevator. Behind her, Evron wiped his eyes quickly and turned back the way he came.

**A/N; A short chapter, I know, but I didn't want to give too much information out about Evron and Makayla's family… so I stopped with Evron's POV. Pity him. Actually, don't. He'll use that against you.  
****There'll be more about their family, next chapter, I promise! And more KuroFai, too, cuz I feel really guilty with how I left them.**

**Reviews nourish me.**


	10. Ninja And Tears

_Disclaimer; I do not own_ Tsubasa_. And from now on I'm just going to assume you know my pride as a writer belongs to all my reviewers._

_Whoohoo! I have 50 reviews! (cries) I feel so loved!_

Ninja And Tears

Fai stared up at the ceiling of his room, watching a beetle crawl across it before the lighting changed and it became a lion, roaring silently to the heavens. Another change in lighting and it was replaced by a barking puppy…

_Hmmm… I wonder if Kuro-tan's still pacing back and forth outside?_

He glanced through the window. There was no sign of him, but a loud growl sounded from outside before a scared looking nurse stumbled through the door, revealing Kurogane crouched on the floor outside for a moment before it shut again.

"Hello, um…" the mage greeted, trying to read her nametag. "Mayu-san?"

The nurse smiled at him as she gently pushed him back onto his pillows, turning the light on so she could check on his wounds.

"Your looking much better, Mr. Fai," she said, smiling brightly. "That's good. I was afraid that…"

The magician raised an eyebrow.

"Well…I heard you got a visit from Evron earlier," she explained, beginning to remove his bandages. Fai cocked his head to the side nd did his best o look confused.

"Ev…ron?" he repeated slowly. "Who's Evron?"

"A self-pitying ass who takes pleasure in screwing with people's heads," Kurogane growled through the door. The magician smiled.

"Oh," he said in a cheerful tone. "You mean the young man who was here earlier? With blonde hair and red eyes?"

Mayu nodded slowly, checking his heart beat before rewrapping his bandages. He could tell she knew he was faking his smiles - his heart was beating furiously against his ribs as he recalled their conversation earlier.

"Don't worry about him," she said soothingly. "He just… well, Makayla wouldn't let him do any permanent damage, and I doubt your bodyguard outside would let him through the door."

"Damn straight," the ninja growled from outside. Mayu smiled brightly.

"You two remind me so much of Makayla's parents," she said, her eyes gaining a distant look. "They were always inseparable, even after the accident…"

"Accident?" Fai asked, smiling at her. "What accident?"

The nurse shook her head.

"You'll have to ask her yourself," she said, finishing with his wounds and hurrying out of the room. The mage sighed. Why did it seem that everyone was in a hurry to be done with him today?

_You're useless. Why would anyone want to be with you?_

The mage shuddered as he remembered Evron's words.

_You actually think people like you? How foolish. Anyone with eyes can see how useless you are. Hiding everything, even when people open up to you. And yet you think there's someone out there who can stand you? Fool. Only the useful end up happy, and the useless are thrown aside. Society has always been good at finding and rejecting people who have no purpose in life, and believe me, you're useless. Why would anyone want to be with you? You don't have the right to love or __**be**__ loved._

"Ha…" he muttered, turning back to the ceiling. "How can a complete stranger know so much?"

He stared at the ceiling, but no animals came to comfort him. There were only the shadows now, shadows with no definite shape or purpose, other than to prove the existence of others.

His door opened, revealing Kurogane, who stifled a yawn as he plopped into the chair next to him that Makayla had brought in earlier.

"Mage, you'd better-" the swordsman stopped. "Hey, are you alright?"

The magician grinned brightly.

"Of course, Kuro-rin," he replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

The ninja frowned and reached over, wiping something wet from under his eye. With a shock, the wizard realized he'd been crying, and he turned away, ashamed to have let his mask fall so far.

"What happened?" he asked, only the slightest trace of worry in his voice. Fai smiled nd shook his head, not turning toward the ninja.

"Nothing," he answered cheerfully, staring at the wall. "I'm just… tired."

He could tell that the swordsman didn't believe him.

"Fai…"

The wizard jumped slightly and turned toward the ninja in time for him to be pulled into a tight embrace.

"Stop lying to me," the ninja muttered into his hair. "You know I can't stand it."

The mage buried his head in the swordsman's chest.

"Why do you care?" Tears were streaming unchecked down the magician's cheeks, wetting the ninja's shirt. "Why would you possibly care? I'm nothing but a burden-"

"Stop saying that," the ninja snapped, pulling away from him. "You aren't a burden, and you never were."

The magician stared down at the sheets of his bed.

"Why do you care?" he asked again, not looking at the ninja. He felt Kurogane lift his head until he was facing him, forcing him to look forward. He stared at him for a moment before leaning in and kissing him.

The mage froze. _Why?_

The ninja broke away from him.

"I care because you're the most annoying person in existence," he said, frowning, "and you're too dense to see what's right in front of you. I care because you've already decided that your life is meaningless and don't care if you live or die. I care because you say that you don't want any of us to be hurt for getting involved with you, and yet you don't realize what your death would do to everyone around you." He hesitated a moment. "And I care because despite all that, I can't stand to think of continuing this journey without you. I can't see how I survived without you before."

Fai stared at him. _He…what?_

"But _**why**_?" he demanded, pulling away from him altogether. The ninja growled.

"Because I love you, dammit!" he snapped. "Believe me, I wish I didn't, but that's just the way it is!"

The mage stared at him for a moment. _Love…me?_

"Liar," he hissed. Shock registered on the ninja's face for a moment before he stood and turned away.

"Believe what you want," he muttered, leaving. Fai stared after him.

_How could anyone possibly love anything so broken?_

--

Kurogane wanted to scream. He wanted to scream until he couldn't scream anymore, and then he wanted to scream some more, until he couldn't even breath. Pain unlike any he'd ever felt shot through him as he collapsed outside Fai's room. White hot, mind numbing pain with no source, no rhyme or reason. It just hurt, almost as if someone had stabbed him through the chest with a flaming sword. He just wanted it to end, for everything to go back to how it was before the mage's suicide attempts, before that demon Makayla called her brother showed up, before he left Japan. He wanted to be back home, where there was no blue eyed mage to slowly kill him in his own way, where the only ones he gave a damn about were Tomoyo Souma.

"Something wrong, Kuro-bozu?"

The ninja glared at Evron as the teenager walked toward him, smiling.

"Did the useless idiot do something stupid again?" he asked. The ninja growled threateningly at him, anger replacing pain as the boy crouched down in front of him.

"Aw, are you acting as guard dog?" he taunted. "Cute, but troublesome. I was hoping to have another chat with Fai. So if you'll excuse me…"

He tried to step over the ninja to open the door, but Kurogane was too quick for him, and he pulled him down onto the floor again.

"You aren't going near him," he growled, standing and positioning himself directly in front of the door. Evron smiled.

"How cute," he hissed. "Are you trying to protect your boyfriend from me? Possessive much?"

The ninja ignored him, not moving even a fraction of an inch. The blonde sighed.

"Fine, I can have a conversation through a closed door," he muttered to himself before calling out, "So, Fai, how are you? I'm well, of course, but you should know that, shouldn't you? I mean we only saw each other twenty minutes and forty-two seconds ago. Did you think over what I told you? That's the least a useless ass like you could have done in the past few minutes."

A low growl sounded from the ninja's throat as he glared down at the teenager.

"Leave him alone," he hissed, taking a step forward. "He isn't useless, and I'm willing to bet anything you told him was a pile of crap."

Evron grinned up at him.

"I didn't tell him anything but what he wanted to hear," he replied easily, taking a step back. "I was just playing with him. Is he broken already?"

"No," the ninja's voice shook with barely controlled rage. "He was _**never**_ broken, and he will never _**be**_ broken."

The teenager grinned at him again.

"Yes, he is," he returned. "He's broken beyond any possibility of being fixed."

The swordsman lost it. Giving up on common sense, he buried his fist into the teen's gut, sending him tumbling backwards a few feet. He grinned at the furious ninja as his fist connected with the boy's chest.

"Enjoying yourself?" he whispered. "I'm happy for you, but this is annoying, isn't it?"

So saying, he side stepped the ninja's next attack and threw a punch of his own, which Kurogane easily dodged and landed one lat blow on the back of the kid's head. The patients surrounding him looked terrified, but they kept their mouths shut.

Still fuming, the ninja turned and threw the door to Fai's room open, shutting it tightly behind him and locking it. He didn't look at Fai as he dropped into the chair again, instead staring at the floor. He could feel the mage staring at him, but he didn't say anything. The ninja found the silence rather unnerving.

"Go to sleep," he said after a while. Fai didn't respond, only rolling over onto his side. He sat in silence for a while before glancing up at the mage. He was staring at him still.

"What?" he snapped finally. The magician smiled, real smile, and the ninja's heart stopped.

"Thank you," the wizard mumbled, rolling onto his back. The swordsman stared at him. _Thank you…?_

Kurogane sighed as he leaned back in his chair. It was barely three in the afternoon, and he was exhausted beyond all reason. He closed his eyes, unconsciously reaching for the magician's hand as he did.

To his surprise, the magician didn't try to pull his hand away. Opening one eye, he saw that the mage had fallen asleep. Smiling to himself, the swordsman tried to follow his example.

--

_It was cold. The freezing winds bit at bare arms and feet, chilling him to the bone. He shivered as he tried to see his brother, locked all the way at the top of the tower, but to no avail. The steady thump of the dead falling from the edge had stopped long ago, causing the young boy to believe it was night, but he couldn't tell, for in the Pit time stood still. Preserving the dead in an endless sleep. He shivered again as he approached the mountain of corpses that served to remind him of all the wrong he'd done, that he was nothing but a curse upon his country, and that because he was born his brother was trapped in that damn tower, separated from every other living thing._

_He caught sight of a small child, wrapped in its mother's arms._

"_Even one as young as this?" he muttered to himself. "What could one so small have possibly done?"_

"_It's because of you…"_

_The child whirled around to see a blonde eyed boy with crimson eyes, anger and hate etched in every corner of his face, giving his eyes an unreal gleam._

"_What purpose could you possibly serve?" he continued, scowling. "Look at what you've done to the people of your country. To your own brother!"_

"_N-no…" the child muttered. "It's not my fault… is it?"_

"_It's all your fault," the boy hissed. "If you hadn't been born, your brother could be living happily with his family and friends…"_

"_No…"_

"_But you already know it, don't you?" the boy smiled as he pointed behind him. "That you caused so much pain…"_

_The child whirled around, but instead of the mound of corpses was his brother, dead on the ground, having fallen from the tower._

"_You remember, don't you?" the boy whispered into his ear. "Your pointless existence caused all of this. And when offered a chance to end it…" the scene changed again, and a dark haired man with a creepy chin stood in front of him, a different him, a him who looked right at him and begged the man to save him. "you didn't even think about your precious twin, did you?"_

_He collapsed in front of the scene s it changed yet again, revealing a dark haired man with sad eyes, his hand outstretched, smiling kindly as he took him away. Then another scene swap, and the same man was standing in the middle of a room full of corpses._

"_This was your fault, too, wasn't it?" The stranger's voice held a hint of glee in it. "And what happens to your companions when he awakens will be your fault as well…"_

_The child stared at the scene in horror. __**It's all my fault…**_

_A picture of a black haired, crimson eyed man flashed before him, briefly, and the stranger let out a hiss of rage._

"_Damn him," he muttered under his breath. The child glanced up at him, but looked quickly away as the image came again, and evolved - he could see the same man smiling as he fought with demons, then again as he faced off with a small brunette._

_**Kurogane…**_

_And then the man was embracing him, holding him tightly against his chest, his heart beating in time with his own…_

_**He deserves better.**_

_**They all deserve better.**_

--

The ninja growled to himself. The mage and his stupid nightmares… and yet upon failing to wake him, here he was, instead trying to comfort him. He wondered briefly of how he could have changed so much since Tomoyo sent him away. He'd never have considered trying to _**comfort**_ another human being, that was for sure.

He could feel the mage shifting against his shirt, and the swordsman released him as he woke. The mage stared at him for a moment before turning away. The ninja stared at him, feeling as if he had just been suffocated. The way the wizard had looked at him, how he'd simply turned away as the light reflected off his cheeks…

He was crying.

**A.N; Okay, whoever thought **_**Kurogane-sama**_** was going to cry, shame on you! He's not that OOC… yet. Not for another chapter, at least. And I know I forgot about Makayla and the others, but I wanted to focus on KuroFai in this chapter, because they were basically ignored last chapter, and I felt guilty about how mean I've been to them… and yet I ended up being mean anyway! ARGH!**

**Reviewers get a new chapter.**


	11. Freedom!

_Disclaimer; Nope, I still don't own _Tsubasa_. Sorry._

Freedom!

"Hey Fai, why's Kurogane keeping guard outside?"

The mage smiled at Seth and gave him a quick hug.

"He's protecting us from the big bad wolf," he joked. Seth grinned and climbed into the bed next to him and looked around to make sure no one was around before leaning forward and whispering, "Is the treasure safe, private?"

The wizard nodded solemnly.

"Yes sir, Cap'n!" he said in a mock serious voice.

"Good! Then hurry outta bed so we can go and reclaim what is ours!" he cried dramatically, scurrying under the bed and emerging with a set of clothes. "We only have a short time to prepare before the commander arrives to break out!"

The wizard grinned as the boy tried to help him change, forcing the shirt down over his head and shoving a pair of socks on his feet once he had jeans on. The magus grinned at him as he finished dressing and examined himself in the window's reflection. He was wearing a light blue V-neck t-shirt and a pair of dark blue denim jeans.

"Thank you very much, Cap'n!" he said, turning toward the small boy, who jumped on him, nearly knocking over and causing the monitors behind him to hit the wall. Giggling, Seth scurried under the bed as Kurogane came in to see what had happened and found the magician completely dressed.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" he snapped, eyes narrowing dangerously. Fai smiled brightly up at him.

"Seth and I were going to go for a walk," he said cheerfully. "Would Kuro-rin like to come?"

The ninja growled.

"Hell _**no**_ I wouldn't like to come!" he shouted. "And you're insane if you think you're leaving this room!"

The magician fake pouted, trying to get the ninja to let him through.

"Pleeeeeeease, Kuro-sama?" he begged. "I'm never gonna get better if I'm stuck inside all the time."

"Not a chance," the ninja replied immediately, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now, back in bed."

The mage looked down at the floor, letting fake tears gather in his eyes.

"Kuro-meanie won't let s go, Seth!" he whined as the child crawled out from under the bed and hugged his leg.

"What?" he cried, looking up at Kurogane, who was biting his lip and glaring at Fai. "Please Kurogane? Just for a few minutes?"

He mage looked up hopefully as the swordsman groaned and picked up Sohi, who was leaning against a wall nearby.

"Fine!" he caved. "But you better not do anything stupid or else I'll drag you both back here by your ears."

The magician grinned up at him.

"Thank you, Kuro-tan!" he cried, hugging him. He felt the ninja tense slightly and backed up, dropping his hands and staring at the floor. An awkward silence filled the room before Seth climbed onto Fai's bed and jumped at the ninja, who caught him without thinking. The four year old grinned and climbed onto his shoulders.

"Onward, to victory!" he cried, pointing forward. The ninja growled and tried to grab him.

"Hey, get off me!" he shouted, trying to catch the squirming four year old. Fai laughed as he boy ducked under his hands and slid his arms around the ninja's throat, giving him a hug before jumping down and running over to the magician. Flushing, he ninja stalked off, followed closely by the magician, who was smiling softly, and Seth, who had a huge grin painted on his face.

--

"FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!"

Kurogane covered his ears as the mage ran around the parking lot, shouting at he top of his not-completely-healed lungs. For a minute the ninja considered hauling him back to his room just for the volume of his screams, but decided against it. After all, this was better for him than sitting around all day complaining about how bored he was.

The swordsman smiled slightly when Seth jumped on him and began singing, "Work work work all week long, punchin' that clock from dusk til dawn, countin' the days til Friday night, that's when all the conditions are right, for good time!"

He wasn't very good, but apparently that view wasn't shared by the magician, who immediately asked him to repeat it a few more times before they were singing the damn thing together as loudly as they could while they walked, causing people passing by to turn and stare at them. The swordsman could hear a few girls whispering about "that cute blonde boy", though for some reason they all shut up when they caught sight of the ninja following them.

"Kuro-woof!" the mage called back to him. "Can we get some ice cream?"

The ninja's eyes narrowed.

"Who'd be paying?" he asked suspiciously. Seth grinned from his position on the magician's shoulders and pulled out a black and pink wallet.

"My mommy gave me some money!" he cried cheerfully, waving it around frantically until he lost his grip on the wizard and tumbled off. Kurogane caught him quickly and replaced the energetic four year old and grabbing the wallet from him.

"Be careful, squirt," he growled as the four year old wrapped his arms firmly around the magician's neck and nodded vigorously. The ninja glanced down at the mage and was startled by how pale he was. Shaking his head, the swordsman lifted Seth from his shoulders and put him down. The boy smiled widely and used a nearby bench to leap onto the ninja's back and from there climb to his shoulders.

"Ice cream, then," he said, cutting off the mage before he could complain and poking Seth in the gut. "It'll be good for you, I suppose. Let's go."

The magician smiled at the swordsman's retreating back.

--

"Makayla!"

The writer growled as she turned to Kaylee.

"Ah, great timing," she muttered. "I need your help with something. In the sentence 'He wanted to glide through the air, feel the cool wind rustling through his feathers,' would it be better if 'glide' was changed to 'soar'?"

The psychiatrist sighed.

"We have a problem," she said, completely ignoring the question. Makayla narrowed her eyes.

"Answer me first and I'll listen," she snapped. Kaylee sighed again.

"Soar would fit better, in my opinion," she replied. Makayla smiled and turned back to her computer, making the necessary corrections before turning back to her friend.

"What's wrong?" she asked calmly, not wanting to panic the girl any further.

"Fai's gone!"

Makayla stared at her for a moment as this sank in.

"WHAT?!" she hollered after a moment. "Where the fuck is he? Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap Dad wanted to meet him today, too oh crap!"

The author hit her head against a nearby bookshelf before something dawned on her and she turned to the psychiatrist.

"Was Kurogane-sama guarding the door?" she asked, regaining her composure as the older girl shook her head. "Then we have nothing to worry about. They'll be back soon."

The psychiatrist raised one eyebrow.

"They're with Seth getting ice cream and fresh air."

"Oh. Why?"

The writer grinned at her.

"Because I spoils my son rotted, and he begged me for some money so he could take Fai to an ice cream stand nearby," she explained, leaning back and picking up a picture on the desk. "He's so like Jason, don't you think?"

She turned back to Kaylee. The psychiatrist nodded sadly, taking the picture from her.

"Yeah…" she muttered, running her fingers along he image of a tall brunette with jade eyes waving toward the camera, his other hand supporting a two year old Seth. "I wonder what he'd say if he'd survived?"

The writer shrugged.

"He'd probably tell you to stop moping and then apologize for hurting your feeling," she muttered, smiling fondly. "Your brother was a good man, Kaylee."

The psychiatrist nodded.

"I know."

--

"Mage!"

Fai grinned up at the ninja as he was lifted up off the ground. He had fallen again, and it was obvious that the swordsman was worried about him.

"I'm fine, Kuro-puu," he insisted, pulling away from him. "I promise. Here I'll prove it."

Ignoring the ninja's protests, he threw his head back and hollered at the top of his lungs, "I'm freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-"

He was cut off by a violent coughing fit that threw him forward again. Seth climbed off Kurogane's shoulders and patted him on the back, looking worried.

"Are you okay, Fai?" he asked, tears forming in his eyes as the magician continued to cough. The wizard forced a smile as the fit passed, giving him a quick hug.

"I'm fine," he insisted, straightening and taking a few steps before falling forward again. Kurogane caught him and lifted him onto his back.

"You are _**not**_ fine," he muttered. "We're going back."

"But I want ice cream!" the mage protested. "And Seth said it's not that far-"

"Can't you get it through your thick skull?" the ninja snapped. "_**I don't care.**_"

Seth nodded in agreement.

"We can get ice cream later," he promised, jogging to keep up with the swordsman's long strides. Sighing, the swordsman scooped him up as well and ran toward the hospital as Fai started coughing again.

They were there in a few minutes. Seth slid off the swordsman's back and tried to help support the mage back to his room, but Kurogane stopped him and handed him Makayla's wallet.

"Wait here, I'll be back soon," he promised. Fai laughed to himself.

"Thank you, Kuro-sama," he muttered, leaning on the ninja for support as he successfully made it to his room and collapsed on the bed. "But you shouldn't worry about me."

"But I should," the swordsman snapped, "because you don't."

The magician laughed to himself as the swordsman stalked out of the room and growled something at a nearby nurse, who nodded frantically. The ninja re-entered the room.

"That nurse," he said, pointing, "is going to stand outside. If you something or that Evron guy comes by, she's going to take care of you, okay? I'll be back in a few minutes with your stupid ice cream."

The magician sighed as he rested back on his pillows, still in the civilian clothing Seth had brought him. First he had had to be carried all the way _**back**_ to the hospital along with Seth, and now the ninja was going back to the stand with the child to get him ice cream, because he'd asked for some.

_What did I do to deserve this?_

--

Kurogane was seriously going to kill someone if they screwed up his order again.

"For god's sake, it's vanilla, chocolate, and _**mint**_!" he shouted at the server. "How hard could this possibly be you fu-"

"Kurogane, aren't you gonna get one?" Seth asked cheerfully. The ninja glared at him.

"No," he snapped. "I'm not."

"Then can I have four scoops?" the boy asked, tugging on his jeans. The ninja closed his eyes and counted to ten before forcing a smile at the four year old.

"What else do you want?" he snapped, still smiling. The boy eyed the choices a moment.

"Cookie dough!" he said after a moment, grinning. The ninja sighed and turned toward the server.

"And a scoop of cookie dough, too," he muttered. The worker handed him the cone, which he thrust at Seth before turning back to the cart.

"Right, I also need a bowl of mint with enough whipped cream to rot your teeth and raspberries on top," he ordered. It was a few minutes before the idiot handed him the bowl and spoon and the irritated ninja dropped a five dollar bill on the counter and waited a moment until Seth climbed on his back before finally hading back toward the hospital.

"Thank you very much Kurogane!" the child said happily as he dug into his ice cream. The ninja nodded once before walking slightly faster.

_That damn mage better be grateful,_ he thought darkly. _if he isn't I'm never doing anything for him again._

He jumped as he felt something cold run down his shirt and travel toward his jeans. Seth inhaled sharply.

"I'm sorry Kurogane it was an accident you're going too fast!" he cried frantically. The ninja shivered as the ice cream traveled even further down his spine.

"Just stop it, already!" he snapped. A shudder ran down his spine as the boy's knee squished the ice cream against his back, but it stopped it's downward plunge… for now. "Thanks."

"Your welcome!"

--

"Mage!"

Fai woke with a start and blinked as Kurogane came into focus, Seth climbing down his back. He grinned at them.

"Hello, Kuro-pyon," he greeted, sitting up. "What brings you here?"

The ninja's eyes narrowed as he came in and thrust a bowl of ice cream at him.

"Here," he snapped. "Don't tell me you forgot."

As a matter of fact, he had. Not that the mage would admit that.

"Of course not!" he cried happily, taking the treat from him. "Thank you, Kuro-rin!"

The ninja turned away, blushing slightly, and growled at the nurse keeping guard on the door, "Leave."

Fai grinned at Seth.

"Did Kuro-muu pick on you?" he asked seriously. The four year old shook his head.

"Nope," he said cheerfully. "I gotta go, though, I promised my mommy I'd go with her to visit Grandpa and Daddy later, and I still hafta finish the paper flowers for their graves 'cause Daddy was allergic to real flowers and he's right next to Grandpa, so we can't give them real flowers. So I'll se you tomorrow, 'kay?"

The mage nodded and gave the boy a quick hug before leaning back and smiling after him. He second he was gone, however, he let his mask drop and sighed. It was exhausting, acting like everything was normal even when he felt like screaming.

After his nightmare, he had firmly decided to forget about it, and avoid discussing anything with anyone and, more importantly, to act like he always did.

The door opened and Makayla entered, looking worried.

"Hi, Kayla!" he greeted, grinning. She smiled in return.

"Hello, Fai," she replied. "I just came to warn you that my dad wants to meet you all and that he'll be here soon, and not to be shocked by his appearance."

The mage raised an eyebrow as Sakura and Syaoran came in. He smiled at them. Makayla growled.

"What's wrong?" Fai asked, glancing up at her. She scowled at the door before turning toward him.

"I should warn you that my dad can tell when people are lying to him," she lectured. "So no one try lying about anything or you'll be thoroughly embarrassed."

"By your father?" Sakura asked, alarmed. Makayla grinned.

"No, by me," she corrected. "Dad lies a lot himself, so I'll just call you on your lies, 'kay? And him, too."

A low growl sounded from outside as the door slid open and Kurogane walked in, followed by… Fai.

Everyone stared at Makayla. She smiled at them.

"Everyone, this is my dad."

**A/N; There. Less angsty, and Makayla's daddy appears! Next chapter will have her story, I promise… and Fai will have a nice little chat with Fai at the end of it.**

**Reviews give me courage to… well, let's just say, I'M A COMMITOPHOBE!!**


	12. The Writer's Tale

_Disclaimer; I don't own _Tsubasa_. And for those who care, I don't update abnormally fast. Everyone else just updates abnormally slow (j/k). Anyway, enjoy._

The Writer's Tale

Their reactions were instantaneous.

"Congratulations!"

"Who's the mom?"

"Shit."

"Awwww, I'm a daddy!"

"Fai-daddy!"

"Alright, everyone shut up!"

Everyone fell silent, everyone smiling brightly except for Kurogane, who scowled and narrowed his eyes at the author before dropping into the chair beside Fai's bed.

_Shit. He's got a daughter, which means he's got a fucking girlfriend, which means… fuck, I never even had a chance._

"Kurogane-sama? Are you okay?"

The ninja glared at Makayla, who shrank back slightly.

"I'm fine," he snapped. "Now either tell us what the fuck is going on or I'm leaving."

The other Fai smiled cheerfully.

"Nice to meet you, Kuro-rin," he greeted. The swordsman growled.

"Don't call me that," he snapped. "My name's _**Kurogane**_."

The other mage smiled.

"But of course," he replied. "Kurogane-san, then."

The swordsman nodded, not really paying attention.

"Um… Dad, this is… actually, you already know them all, technically," Makayla said, smiling slightly. "Sakura-chan, Syaoran-kun, Mokona - oh, you don't know him, do you? That's him right there, on Fai's head-" she pointed at them as she said their names - "and then the two you know best of all, Fai, and Kurogane-sama."

The other Fai smiled at them all in turn.

"Pleased to make our acquaintances," he said brightly. "My name's Fye, spelled F-Y-E, for anyone who cares."

Kurogane growled. They were exactly the same - same name, same attitude, same fake ass smiles. Fye and Fai turned toward him, both smiling.

"Something wrong, Kurogane-san?"

"What's wrong, Kuro-tan?"

Makayla let out a strangled laugh, and the ninja glared at her.

"Shut up, all of you," he growled, scowling at the mage and his alternate. Makayla smiled.

"Kurogane-sama, no point getting all defensive and closed off before we start," she scolded playfully. "And Dad, stop smiling or else I'll tell on you when we go to visit Jason and Father."

Kurogane looked at her sharply. _Did she just say…?_

"Okay, starting from the beginning," the writer sighed as she sat on the unoccupied bed beside Fai. "First of all, my parents are both male. They used a surrogate when they decided to have kids."

"What's a surrogate?" Syaoran asked from where he stood by Fai. The ninja was curious, too - they didn't have such a thing in Nihon. Makayla flushed.

"Um… look it up," she said after a moment. "Now, they used a surrogate because by the laws of nature a man cannot carry a child. So they went to this special hospital where you donate… um, actually, you know what? I'll skip ahead a ways, this is _**way**_ too embarrassing - Dad, say a word and I'll leave you here."

Fye, who had opened his mouth to address them, closed it. Apparently Makayla's other dad was important enough to him to listen to her.

"Anyway, after I was born, my parents had to give up some… baby making materials to our surrogate, because that was the agreement, she'd carry me and they'd let her have a kid to keep. So a few years later, when her and her husband failed to conceive, she came to collect on that debt, and nine months later the devil child was born," she went on, a note of bitterness was apparent in her voice at the end. "Evron…

"He was a cute kid!" Fye said suddenly, smiling brightly. "Him and Aya, they were inseparable."

"Aya?" Sakura repeated. "That's a pretty name."

"It was her nickname," Makayla said, staring down at the floor. "Her full name was Ayana… it means 'beautiful blossom'."

She fell silent.

"Yeah, they were best friends, those two," Fye mused, smiling softly. "Evron, the short tempered, lazy, reckless blonde, and Aya, the level headed, responsible, open minded brunette. They made quite a team."

Silence reigned for a moment.

"Well who the hell is she?" Kurogane finally snapped. Makayla looked up and smiled at him.

"She was Evron's twin sister," she said quietly, still smiling. The ninja raised an eyebrow.

"Was?" he repeated. "What happened to her?"

"Anyway, we grew up pretty well, all things considered," the author went on with her tale, ignoring him. "Best friends - wherever one of us was they knew how the others were. Aya wanted to be a children's book author, and I was in school to become a director. You know we wanted to travel the world, and Evron wanted to go with us. I promised them a part in my first movie. It was going to be about two angels who were cast from heaven, and in the end they return as heroes. Clichéd, I know, but we were so excited about it. I met my screenwriter at a high school reunion for my dad's graduating class. Kaylee's younger brother. Jason… Sakura-san and Syaoran-sensei's son."

The two teenagers tensed noticeably and moved apart. Kurogane rolled his eyes.

"We were in our final year of high school, and working on our movie, when we were married. Then a year later Seth was born. Aya and Evron were in their second year of high school at the time. Aya was seeing someone named… Michael, I think, and Evron was with a really sweet child, Ella, her name was. She was Aya's best friend, next to Evron."

"They made really cute couples," Fye spoke up, giving his daughter a hug. " Especially Kayla and Jason."

"Dad!" the twenty-one year old cried indignantly. "I didn't make a cute couple with anyone!"

The man pouted.

"Anyway, on mine and Jason's last night in Raisu, we all decided to go to a nearby mall," Makayla went on, flushing slightly. "Father paid for everyone - me, Jason, Ella, Aya, Evron, Michael, Daidoji-san-"

"What?" Kurogane leapt to his feet. "Daidoji?"

Makayla nodded.

"Tomoyo-san," she muttered before continuing, "Sakura-san and Syaoran-sensei were there, too. We all got on the bus that would take us there. About half a dozen others were there, too. We were… happy."

She paused again, and Fye took the opportunity to address the ninja.

"Kurogane-san, how much of this has she told you?" he asked, still smiling. The swordsman shrugged.

"Not much," he replied. "Only that she was going to be a director. Oh, and one of the nurses mentioned an accident."

Fye nodded slowly and turned to face Fai. He looked him over once and smiled.

"There was a car bomb in one of the cars parked nearby when we stopped," he said softly, still smiling. "It went off a few seconds after we stopped."

"Sakura and Syaoran were closest," Makayla whispered, smiling at them. "And then it was Evron and Aya and Daidoji-san. And I… I was on the other side of the bus with Jason and Seth. So when the bomb went off… Father… threw himself in front of Evron and Daidoji-san, but Aya… she was thrown against the other side of the bus. Jason caught her, and I got Seth… and then fire hit the gas tank. I'm not sure what happened after that. I only remember waking up in this hospital a few days later, and my doctor told me that Jason and his parents were dead, and that my father was a goner… and that Evron was fine, because Michael and Ella… he never got over it. I don't blame him, of course, but he wasn't this way until later, much later.

"That night I received word that my father had died, and that Dad was still with him, and Seth would be allowed to come visit me soon. We were all released from the hospital a few days later.

"Dad decided to put his medical training to good use. He got a job here, and I would come in and help out every now and then. Seth was put in a temporary foster home for a few months until CPS was sure I was mentally stable, and then he was released back into my custody. But Daidoji-san… she was diagnosed with emotional trauma a few months later, and for a while the only ones allowed to see her where the hospital staff and me. Evron was stuck in a foster home. He kept in constant contact - letters, phone calls, anything he could do to talk to her. And she was getting better, she really was. Soon they decided to let him go see her."

She paused again.

"Everything went fine, at first," Fye continued for her, smiling at nothing. "She talked with him, joked with him, hugged and kissed him. She was the happiest she'd been since the accident. But then…"

"She saw his eyes," Makayla said bitterly. "She saw my father's eyes, and she was reliving the whole thing all over again. Seth wasn't even allowed to visit her after that, and that hurt him. But Evron…" she took a deep breath. "You saw him. He lost it. He felt as if she'd rejected him, and there wasn't anything we could say to make him feel better. About six months ago he got to where he is now. They tried to bring him in for emotional trauma, but every one of his doctors would check him out immediately. They were terrified of him. He'd always been good at finding people's weaknesses, but he took it to a whole new level. He'd snapped, and there was nothing we could do."

Silence filled the room. Makayla grinned at them, and he had the insane urge to reach over and hit her.

"So anyway, this is my dad," she re-introduced him. The ninja narrowed his eyes.

"Why did you tell us?" he asked, blinking. The author grinned at him.

"Because you deserve an explanation," she replied, standing. "And since I know so much about you, I thought I should tell you a little about myself."

"Makayla?" The writer turned toward Sakura and grinned at her.

"What is it, princess?" she asked, still smiling. The girl glanced at Fye before asking, "Your father… it was the Kurogane-san of this world, wasn't it?"

Makayla smiled again.

"How could you tell?" she asked. The princess flushed.

"Well… ou look a little like him… and Seth has his eyes," she replied, smiling sheepishly.

Kurogane didn't hear her. _Her father… is the me of this world… and Fai is her dad? That… that means…_

"Kurogane-sama." Makayla poked his forehead. "My dad wants a private word with Fai."

The ninja nodded dumbly and followed them out of the room. _The Fai of this world… and the me of this world…_

_I have a chance._ He wanted to scream it to the heavens. _I HAVE A CHANCE!!_

--

Fai smiled at his older alternate as he took over the seat Kurogane had been sitting in and smiled.

"You love him, don't you?" he asked, scooting closer to the bed. Fai looked away. They both knew he didn't have to answer that question. After all, they were the same person.

"What does it matter?" he muttered, eyes filling with scalding tears. "He deserves better."

"He doesn't want better," Fye smiled and turned his head back toward him. "He wants you."

The magician laughed.

"Only because he doesn't know anything about me," he muttered, turning away and staring at the ceiling. His double chuckled.

"'I'm not good enough for him. If he knew anything about me he'd run. I'm only burden to him,'" the other said slowly. "I thought the exact same thing. But when he learned everything, he still loved me. Even when he learned about the real Fye he just hugged me close and called me an idiot."

The wizard chuckled, turning away from his older alternate.

"I can't tell him… he'd hate me," he whispered. Fye sighed.

"I doubt that."

"Why?"

"He was worried about you, wasn't he?"

The mage smiled bitterly.

"Only because he's an idiot," he dropped all pretense of a smile as he turned toward his double. "What intelligent human being would love me?"

"He confessed then?" Fye said, looking bemused. "What did you do?"

"I called him a liar," the wizard chuckled. "The liar accused another of lying."

"Tell him the truth."

Fai stared at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Tell him the truth."

"No."

"Are you scared?"

The magician glanced up at the ceiling.

"Of course not," he muttered. "But he deserves so much more, and I don't want to hurt them…"

"Coward," Fye stated simply. The mage shut his eyes and nodded.

"I know," he growled. "I know! But what am I supposed to do, exactly? I'm not you!"

The alternate chuckled.

"You're stronger than I was," he replied. "When he told me I flat out punched him and ran away from home so he couldn't find me."

Fai turned toward him, eyes wide.

"What?!" he exclaimed. The other nodded.

"Just tell him," he repeated, standing and heading for the door. "You'll be better off, trust me."

**A/N; Wow, that was really clichéd. Ah, well. I hope you enjoyed it anyway.**

**Reviews are good. They make me smile.**


	13. Ice Cream And Evron

_Disclaimer; Nope. I still don't own _Tsubasa_._

Ice Cream And Evron

Fai sighed. He'd been stuck in his room for what felt like years now, ever since they met Fye. He wanted to get out and run around, to scream to the heavens, to play with Seth again. But Kurogane had firmly decided that he wasn't allowed o leave his room for any reason until he was discharged which, thanks to the ice cream incident, wouldn't be for another week at least.

He smiled at Makayla as she entered the room, carrying a sleeping Seth and a small folder.

"Kaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyllllllaaaaaaaaaa," he whined. "I'm boooooooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrred! I've been in here forever!"

She laughed.

"Why don't you sneak out again?" she suggested. "It worked well enough last time."

The mage pouted.

"Kuro-puppy won't let me," he lied, settling back on his pillows. "And anyway, it's no fun running away alone."

The writer's eye's narrowed a fraction, but she smiled at him and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Kurogane-sama says you haven't been talking to him since you met my dad," she revealed, leaning back on her hands. "Why not?"

The magician looked away. What was he supposed to say? _Oh, your dad pretty much told me off and he expects me to be honest with myself, oh, and I think I'm in love with someone I'm going to end up killing one day because whether I like it or not eventually he'll learn about Fai, the real Fai, and he'll hate me for it_? Yeah, that would be smart.

"Anyway," Makayla said suddenly, interrupting his thoughts. "I knew you'd be bored, so I was wondering if you'd watch Seth for a few hours. That okay with you?"

The magician smiled.

"Of course!" he accepted. "I just hope the puppy doesn't bite him."

A low growl issued from outside. Fai ignored it.

"Good," Makayla said cheerfully. "Then I'll pick him up around three. Take care of him!"

The magician waved cheerfully as she left. At least he had something to do.

--

Kurogane groaned. He'd been sitting there for three days, and dammit all if he wasn't bored. He wanted to go for a walk, eat something other than the crappy hospital food Makayla'd ordered he received when Fai was fed. He wanted to train with Syaoran. Anything to get out of this damn hospital.

But he couldn't leave. Evron had mysteriously vanished the day Fye had shown up, and while the others seemed completely unconcerned over this, he wasn't taking any chances. Last time that bastard had gotten near Fai he'd hurt him, and there had been something different in the way he spoke to the ninja since. He still used those same annoying nicknames, and wore those same fake smiles, but there was something different about him. Something… false. Besides his smiles and lies. There was a strange sense of not quite _**being**_ that had surrounded the mage. It worried him.

The swordsman shook his head. He was thinking too much. Perhaps he should leave just for a few minutes, maybe get a nurse to take over for him…

_No. If you leave that bastard'll come back. Move one fucking inch and you're dead._

Great. He was threatening himself.

Sighing, the ninja stood and pulled the door open, scowling at Fai and Seth, who were busy cutting unidentifiable shapes out of construction paper.

"You," he barked at the mage, reaching over and picking Seth up. "We're going out."

Surprise registered on the magician's face before he grinned.

"I don't have any clothes, Kuro-woof," he pointed out. The swordsman rolled his eyes and ducked under the bed and pulled out the clothes Seth had brought him earlier that week and tossed them at him.

"Get dressed, moron," he snapped. The magician smiled and began to change.

"Hey!" the swordsman shouted, turning bright red. "What the hell are you doing-"

"Aw, Kuro-tan's so cute!" Fai cut him off. "He's so embarrassed!"

Cursing under his breath, the ninja stalked out of the room, Seth in tow, and slammed the door behind him. Seth climbed onto his back.

--

_How the hell did I end up here again?_

Kurogane growled at the server at the ice cream stand he'd taken Seth to after Fai's coughing fit. He was really sick of ice cream.

"Kurogane, can I have four scoops?" Seth asked hopefully. The ninja sighed.

"Fine, but I'm not carrying you back to the hospital if you don't finish it," he warned, scowling. "Now hurry up, dammit, I need to train."

"Aw, Kuro-cranky's being a party pooper!" the mage whined, taking his ice cream from the server and sitting down across from him. Something that had changed, the ninja noted, since Evron showed up. The mage used to plop down beside him regardless of where they were.

"Whatever," he muttered angrily, glancing over at where Seth was trying his best to reach his ice cream. Sighing, Kurogane walked over and grabbed it, handing it to him.

"Can I get you anything, sir?" the server asked. The swordsman glared at him for a moment before stalking away.

"You, kid," he snapped at Seth, drawing Sohi. "Watch the idiot mage. Don't let him out of your sight for a minute, and if your uncle shows up call, got it?"

The four year old nodded energetically and plopped down beside the mage as the ninja left, searching for somewhere to train in peace that still permitted him view of the mage and his bodyguard.

--

Evron yawned. After being inactive for a couple days, he needed someone amusing to torture. Someone who would believe everything and wouldn't have anyone there to protect them…

_There._

It was Fai, sitting alone, except for Seth. An evil smile forming on his lips, he approached the ice cream bar they were at and smiled at the server.

"Mint," he ordered, keeping one eye on his target. The server handed it to him and smiled pleasantly.

"That'll be two-fifty, sir," he said. Evron glared at him before dropping the money on the counter. No, this weak man wouldn't provide any amusement. He moved on to bigger prey.

"Hello, Fai, Seth," he said coldly, sitting across from him. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

The mage went pale. Seth growled defensively in perfect imitation of the ass and climbed on the table in front of him.

"G-go away," he ordered, voice shaking with fear. Evron smiled at his nephew.

"Hello, Seth. How are you today?" he asked conversationally. "Did your mommy ditch you again?"

"No," the child barked, shaking. "She'd letting me spend some time with Fai."

"Of course," the teen replied off handedly. "Just like she let you spend some time with those mean people."

The boy shook visibly, but he didn't move.

"Go away," he whimpered. "We didn't do nothing to you."

Evron smiled coldly at him. He had grown, he noted, since they had last met.

"Why are you here, Seth?" he asked, reaching over and ruffling the four year old's hair. He flinched back noticeably.

"K-Kurogane said to w-watch him," the boy stuttered. "S-so g-go away."

The blonde's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Ah. Trying to be tough, are we?" he hissed. "Because you know that eventually your mommy will leave you and never come back."

Tears rolled down his cheeks.

"P-please go away, Uncle Evron," he whimpered again. "W-we d-didn't do anything to you."

The teenager laughed as he reached out to ruffle his hair again.

"Don't touch him."

Seth was pulled from the table by a shaking magician, who pulled him close. Evron smiled.

"Ah, Fai! I almost forgot you were here," he said easily, taking a bite of ice cream. "I was having such fun with little Seth. He's so much stronger than he used to be."

The mage was terrified. And angry. The teen smiled. His anguish was delicious.

"Go away," the magician hissed, standing up and stepping away from the table. Evron followed.

"Why would you want me to do that?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. "After all, I'm the only one who finds you useful."

He laughed at the shock that crossed the wizard's face.

"Yes, you're my favorite toy."

He kicked out, hitting the mage's knee. He fell, releasing his hold on Seth, who took one look at his uncle and tried to pull the magician up. Grinning, Evron picked him up. He let out a strangled sob.

"Let me go!" he screamed, trying to squirm out of his gasp. "Let me go!"

The teen was forced back by a fist connecting with his fist. Startled, he let go of the sobbing four year old and looked toward his attacker.

"Now Fai, what brings about this change in faith?" he asked, grinning evilly as the wizard bent down and hugged Seth. "I would have thought you'd be a little kinder."

"Fuck off," the magician snapped. Evron smiled.

"You sound like Kuro-bozu," he hissed. "All talk, though. I know you can't attack again. Your lung must be screaming, isn't it?"

"I said fuck off!" the wizard repeated, backing away again. The blonde's eyes flashed for a moment.

"It's a shame," he muttered. "I was having fun, too."

The magician didn't say anything. Grinning, Evron darted forward and elbowed his lung, causing his grip on Seth to fail and the four year old to drop to the floor as he coughed violently. Seth cast one glance at his baby sitter and charged him. The teen easily side stepped him and gave him a sharp kick to the back and returning his attention to Fai, who was still coughing, blood beginning to pool on the ground in front of him.

_It's a good thing the bar is so isolated,_ he reflected. _Otherwise I'd be surrounded by now._

His thoughts were interrupted as he narrowly avoided being cloven in two. Turning, the teen grinned at Kurogane, who's features were lit with anger and hatred, Seth running from behind him toward the fallen mage.

A police alarm split the air.

"Well, Kuro-bozu," he grinned, "looks like we'll have to play later."

He ducked under the ninja's arm and darted into the crowd.

--

_Fuck. I'm such a goddamn dumbass._

The swordsman wanted to scream as he scooped the unconscious mage up and cradled him to his chest. Seth stared at the ground a little ways away, tears spilling unchecked down his cheeks.

"Seth," the ninja called to him. The child walked over slowly, still staring at the ground. Numbly, Kurogane picked him up as well and waited while he climbed onto his shoulders. A squad car appeared , and the crowd scattered from it as the swordsman walked toward it and growled at the officer inside.

"Hospital," he snapped, climbing in. Without a word, the officer turned around and drove toward it, apparently sensing that this was not the time to argue with him. Seth sobbed and clung to the ninja, but he was numb to it and everything else, head full of only one thought.

_I let this happen._

**A/N; No comments. I'm gonna go work on the next chapter.**

**I have no right to ask for reviews. Do as you wish.**


	14. The Swordsman's Laughter

_Disclaimer; I don't own _Tsubasa_. And I still don't own my writer's pride. Just a reminder…_

The Swordsman's Laughter

_It hurts. Why? I… I was eating ice cream with Seth… and then Evron showed up…_

_**Seth**__._

_Oh god, what happened to Seth? Please, I don't care what happened to me, but please let him be okay. Please._

_Light? No… it hurts so much… why? I was protecting Seth… and Evron kicked me…_

"_He ripped his stitches! Move outta the way!"_

_Who… are you? Where am I? What happened to Evron? Is Seth okay?_

"_Dammit, idiot mage! You better get through this!"_

_Kuro…sama? I'm sorry… you're… right… I'm an idiot…_

"_Fai-san!"_

_Sakura-chan? Hehe… I guess I'm in trouble… huh? God… it hurts… so much…_

"_**FAI!**__"_

"Kuro…gane…"

--

Kurogane held his head in his hands. _He called me Kurogane…_ _God, I'm such an idiot… I know that! I know I'm an idiot… so please, just let him be okay…_

"Kurogane?" The ninja looked up at Seth, who was staring at the floor.

"What?" he asked, voice as empty as he was. Seth glanced up at him and started to cry.

"I- I'm sorry…" he sobbed. "I… I tried to help him… but I couldn't… I'm sorry!"

The swordsman smiled sadly, unable to summon the emotion required to do anything else. He drew the four year old into a tight hug.

"You did a great job, Seth," he muttered as the boy buried his face into the ninja's shirt. "I… thanks, for protecting him."

The four year old just sobbed harder.

"He got hurt because of me," he whimpered. "I tried to s-stop U-uncle E-evron… but I was scared… and he said mean things to him… and hurt him…"

"It's not your fault," the swordsman said forcefully, holding the child at arms length. "You did a great job, so stop crying. I sure as hell don't blame you, and I'm sure Fai doesn't either."

The boy sniffed one more time before rubbing his eyes furiously.

"O-okay," he said, smiling. "If… if I smile, that's okay, right? Grandpa… he always yelled at Mommy when she smiled even when she was sad…"

"Are you happy?"

"No."

"Then don't smile. It would be better to cry, just not because you think it's your fault."

Seth smiled for a moment more before his face fell again and he looked as if he were fighting back tears. The swordsman hugged him again.

"Don't worry, kid, that damn mage won't die."

"Kurogane-sama, I need to talk to you."

The swordsman glanced at Makayla over Seth's head and released him.

"I'll see you later," he muttered, standing and following the writer out of the waiting room. She stopped in front of a vending machine in the lobby.

"You look like shit," she commented, depositing the money needed for her purchases. "How do you feel?"

The swordsman accepted the drink she handed him and stared at the floor.

"I don't know," he said finally. "Empty."

The writer stared at him for a moment. He thought he saw something resembling guilt pass through her eyes before she chuckled dryly and gulped down her drink.

"That bad, huh?" she muttered, turning away. "You hungry?"

He was startled by the question. _Fai could die… and she wants to know if I'm hungry?_

"No," he muttered after a moment. Somehow he couldn't even summon any anger to put force behind this statement. He couldn't find enough of _**anything**_ to put much force behind it. Makayla sighed.

"I'll bring you something later," she promised, finishing her drink and taking Kurogane's from him. "In the meantime, try to get some sleep. You look dead on your feet."

He nodded numbly and headed back toward the waiting room, before deciding against it. They'd probably return the mage to his room in the ICU when they were finished, so it was there that the swordsman directed his march.

_Sleep… sounds good right now._

He sighed as he opened the door to Fai's room. It was dark, and he didn't bother to turn the lights on, instead collapsing on the first bed he ran into, which, coincidentally, turned out to be Fai's.

The ninja buried his face in the sorcerer's pillow. _It smells like that damn magician…_

_Fai… what'd that ass do to you? How could I have been so late? Why the hell did I leave a kid to serve as your protection, when I knew that maniac was out there?!_

The ninja laughed. He wasn't sure why, but he just laughed. He laughed until the empty feeling in the pit of his stomach was gone, and then he laughed some more, until he felt scalding liquid build up in his eyes and spill over. And then he laughed some more.

By the end of his insane laughter, he was asleep.

**A/N; Okay. This was a really short chapter, but I didn't want to add anything else… so I'll leave the rest for chapter 15. The OOCness wasn't too bad, was it? And one thing before the question I have no right to ask; In Chapter 11, the song Seth is singing is "Good Time" by Alan Jackson. Fear the Internet and Kfrog!**

**Reviews? Please?**


	15. Fools And Followers

_Disclaimer; I obviously don't own _Tsubasa_ if I'm still writing this._

Fools And Followers

He woke a few hours later to someone poking his side. Groaning he rolled over, fully intending to make sure _**whoever**_ had the audacity to wake him up suffered a slow and painful death, curse or no curse. He blinked when he saw who it was, blonde hair brushed neatly out of his sapphire eyes.

"Fai."

The mage fake pouted as he plopped onto his bed.

"This is _**my**_ bed, Kuro-rin," he scolded lightly. "Why are you in it?"

The ninja growled.

"Bastard. Do you have any fucking clue how worried everyone was?!" he snapped, snatching up one of the pillows on the magician's bed and hurling it at him. "If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I swear I'll -"

"Kuro-tan?" the wizard interrupted him, squeezing the pillow tightly. "Why is my pillow wet?"

The swordsman froze. _His pillows… wet? Oh… right…_

"I-I don't know," he lied, flushing. "Maybe you drool."

"Kuro-sama…" the mage's eyes widened in disbelief. "Were you _**crying**_?"

"N-no! Ho- why would you even think such a thing?!" he snapped, reddening further. "I don't _**cry**_, dammit, especially not becau-"

He was cut of as the wizard leaned in and kissed him gently before snuggling up to the ninja's side.

"Thank you," he muttered. The ninja stared down at him.

"W-wait, what the hell was that?" he snapped. Fai grinned up at him.

"It was a kiss, silly," he teased. The swordsman growled and shoved the mage away from him, climbing out of his bed and glaring at the floor.

"I'm not putting up with your bullshit today, mage," he growled, stalking out of the room and slamming the door shut behind him.

Fai just stared after him.

_--_

_God I'm a fool. I actually thought he loved me… and this is what happens._

Fai laughed as he picked up his damp pillow and buried his face in it. _I'm an idiot to think he cared…_

"Fai-san?"

The mage froze. He hadn't heard Sakura come in, and it was impossible to act as if he were asleep, seeing as he was still sitting up. So he had two choices - a) act as if nothing happened, or b) tell the truth - if she asked about it.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan!" he greeted cheerfully, pulling his head out of his pillow and grinning broadly. "How are you today?"

"Are you okay?" she asked, sitting down beside him and feeling his forehead. "Does your chest still hurt from the surgery?"

"I'm fine!" he replied. "My chest's a little sore, that's it. Guess I still have some recovering to do, huh?"

The princess frowned.

"How long have you been up?" she asked.

_Long enough to get my heart broken a thousand times over._

"Not long," he answered. Her frown deepened.

"Do you know why Kurogane-san is so grumpy?"

_Because he's an idiot._

"Kuro-pyon's always grumpy," he pointed out. The teenager sighed.

"Yeah," she admitted. "But he seems kinda sad…"

"Really?" the mage asked, taken aback. "I wonder why."

"Did something happen?"

"Well…" The mage glanced at Sakura, looked deep into her kind, knowing eyes… and lied to her. With a grin on his face.

"No, nothing at all."

--

_What the hell am I doing?_

Kurogane almost screamed. He just pushed him away. The one person he could actually living with forever. He'd just… snapped.

_Well, what was I supposed to do? I love him, and I told him that I loved him, and he __**still**_ _looked me in the eye with that damn fake smile. He doesn't give a fuck about me. He was trying to mess with me, again. Like always. So he almost dies a __**third**__ time everything goes back to him being his normal lying self? Dammit, that isn't how it works! I've been through hell for him, and for what? So he could fuck with me? Shit, if I had to choose who to torture me, him or Evron… Sorry, mage, but I think I'd prefer the one I wouldn't feel guilty about kicking the crap out of._

"-ne-sama,"

The swordsman jumped and glared at Makayla, who chuckled and pinched his cheek.

"Geez, you're really outta it, aren't you?" she commented. "I've been calling you for five minutes already. What's wrong, Fai kiss you?"

The ninja reddened and glared down at the floor. He could feel the writer staring at him.

"Oh my god, he did, didn't he?" she said, disbelief filling her voice. "Well, what did you do?"

The ninja didn't look up.

"None of your buisness," he muttered. The author stared at him a moment before sighing.

"Did you kiss him back?" she asked?

"No."

"Did you stare at him like a dumbass?"

"No."

"Did you have sex with him?"

The ninja looked up from the floor and stared at her, turning crimson.

"Of course not! What kind of question's that?!" he snapped.

"Okay. Then did you-"

"I fucking pushed him the fuck away, okay? Happy?!"

The twenty-one year old stared at him for a minute before running her thumb across her nose and crossing her arms across her chest.

"Why?" she asked after a minute. "You love him, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, but…" the ninja stopped. "I don't have to tell you a damn thing, you nosy ass bitch!"

Makayla sighed and unfolded her arms.

"Go home, Kurogane-sama," she said suddenly. He stared at her.

"What?" he asked, startled. The writer sighed.

"Go home," she repeated. "Take a shower, polish Sohi, train Syaoran, play _Fable_, anything you want. Just get out of the hospital and away from Fai for a few days. Relax and think things through."

"But who'll take care of -" the ninja started.

"Evron won't get to him, I promise," she cut him off. "I'll stay out here until you get back, alright?"

He stared at her. _She wants me to leave?_

"Go," she ordered, narrowing her eyes dangerously. The swordsman stared at her for a moment more before climbing to his feet and leaving. At the doorway, he hesitated.

"Take care of him," he called to the writer over his shoulder as she positioned herself in front of the door. She smiled.

--

_Where is he? Why the hell would he leave?_

Fai smiled at Sakura as she handed him a plate of cookies.

"Moko-chan and I made them for you," she said shyly. The magician smiled and took them from her, biting into one and swallowing.

"Delicious!" he cried, finishing the rest of it. "Thank you so much, Sakura-chan!"

The princess blushed and opened her mouth to reply when the door slid open and Makayla stepped in, smiling.

"Could you excuse us a moment?" she asked the teenager, who nodded quickly and scurried out of the room. Makayla made sure that the door was shut securely before turning to the mage.

"We need to talk," she said, dropping the smile and glaring at him.

"About what?" the magician asked, dropping back on his pillows.

"Evron. What did he look like when you last saw him?" she asked hurriedly. The wizard raised an eyebrow.

"Hmmm… he was pale, but that's about it," he replied after a moment. "Why?"

The girl frowned.

"So he hasn't been getting much sleep… what about his eyes? Did he have bags under them?"

Fai was taken aback by her questions.

"I… I don't know… I was busy being beaten to a pulp when I saw him," he answered. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Tell me the truth, Fai," she demanded, ignoring the question. "Before today, did you and Kurogane-sama kiss?"

The wizard stared at her.

"I- you- how did you know?!" he asked finally.

"Answer the question."

"Well… yes…"

"He told you he loved you?"

"Y-yes…but… why does it matter?"

The writer growled slightly.

"I think the reason Evron's going after you now-"

"Now?" Fai interrupted. "So there was another reason before?"

"Yes," Makayla confirmed. "But now… I think it's because Kurogane-sama's the only one he hasn't broken yet."

"Broken?" the magician repeated slowly. "Whaddaya mean by 'broken'?"

The author's frown deepened.

"I mean caused ultimate despair. He got me once, and Seth…" she clenched her fists. "He got Seth twice. He's gotten to everyone. Except for Kurogane-sama."

"So, what , you think…" realization dawned on him. "You mean…"

The author nodded.

"Yeah."

--

Kurogane was being followed.

He'd been able to feel eyes on him since he'd left the hospital, and there was no way of knowing how long they'd been there before. But they were there now. Faint, but he could feel them. They were there.

And they were watching him.

He growled. Whoever the hell was tailing him had some nerve, acting as if he were too stupid to notice them.

"Hey, moron," he snapped. "Might as well show yourself."

A low whistle came from his right.

"Kuro-bozu's pretty sharp, isn't he?"

The ninja turned toward his opponent.

"Hello, Evron."

**A/N; DUNDUNDUN!! Okay, another short chapter, I know… at least I'm not overly evil, am I? Probably. Next chapter shall be longer, and more detailed, I promise.**

**Reviews help me sleep at night**


	16. A Major Miscalculation

_Disclaimer; Nope. I don't own _Tsubasa_. Sorry._

A Major Miscalculation

Fai sighed as he lay back against his pillows. Something had been bothering him for a while now, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was.

_Lessee… Kuro-tan has Sohi to protect him if he gets in a fight, and Seth's with Fye… Syaoran wouldn't let Evron hurt Sakura, so there's no need to worry about that…_

Sighing again, the magician rolled over onto his side to face the wall. The feeling something was wrong persisted, however, and, sighing a third time, the mage climbed out of bed and paced his room.

_What the hell's wrong with me? There's nothing to worry about. Evron's not that strong physically, and Kuro-rin's not that weak mentally, so he'll be fine, right? There's nothing to worry about. Right? I mean, Kuro-sama's strong, and he wouldn't listen to Evron, he's too intelligent for that, no mater how big an idiot-_

His thoughts were interrupted as he tripped and landed on the floor. His lung screamed in protest to this rough treatment, and the wizard lay there a few minutes, catching his breath. He turned his head to look under the bed as he rolled over.

And he froze.

Reaching a shaky hand under his bed, he grabbed the object and pulled it out. One thought dominated all others.

_Kurogane._

It was Sohi.

--

Evron grinned evilly at the ninja.

_He… will be fun._

"What the hell do you want, bastard?!" the swordsman snapped, reaching for a sword that wasn't there. He swore to himself.

"What's wrong, Kuro-bozu?" he asked, smirking. "Leave your sword in Fai's room? You're such a fool. I can see why he enjoys screwing with you."

"Shut up," the swordsman hissed, clenching his fists. The teenager grinned at him. _The anger… it's so refreshing. Not a trace of fear anywhere in it. Well, that'll change quickly enough._

"Are you angry with me?" the blonde grinned and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Because I hurt the idiot? Or because you couldn't protect him?"

The ninja shook with rage as he glared at the blonde, who smirked. _Yes… refreshing._

"You know," he went on, watching Kurogane's reaction closely, "you're boyfriend was surprisingly amusing for such a pathetically weak creature. His distress was so very… _**delicious**_."

The swordsman was practically oozing anger now, his nails biting into the palms of his hands. Evron could see the blood beginning to gather on his knuckles. He chuckled.

"Now now, Kuro-bozu, you should really try to avoid inflicting pain on yourself," he scolded. "After all, a toy that destroy itself isn't any fun."

The ninja growled.

"I'm not your toy," he snapped. "And I never will be."

The teen's smile widened for a moment before he laughed. He saw the ninja shiver slightly and he laughed even harder at the sight. _Not my toy, eh? We'll see about that_.

"Oh, Kuro-bozu, you never fail to amuse me," he commented, wiping his eyes as his laughter died. "You are not only my toy _**now**_, but you have been ever since I met you in the hallway. Everything I did to your precious mage has been to screw with _**you**_."

He laughed again.

"His anguish was just an added bonus!"

--

Kurogane took a deep breath and held it for a moment.

_He did all of that… because he wanted to fuck with me?_

He could have screamed.

"What's wrong, Kuro-bozu?" the blonde asked coming closer. "Feeling sick?"

The ninja growled threateningly.

"Get the hell away," he snapped. The teenager smiled.

"Now, why would I do that?" he asked innocently. "I just wanted a chat with you about a certain blonde idiot-"

He stopped, looking up at the ninja, amusement registering on his face.

"You actually care, don't you," he laughed. "Poor Kuro-bozu, so in love and yet so very, very hated."

The swordsman dug his nails deeper into his palm. It was broad daylight. If they fought here, they'd both end up in trouble, except that this slimy bastard could probably scare anyone into letting him go. But if he tried to ignore the ass's taunts - which he knew he wouldn't be able for very much longer - he'd end up killing something. Oh, the little choices…

"Of course, you don't realize that the one your in love with is a pathetic murderer."

The swordsman lost it. Growling, he launched a punch toward his stomach, but the teenager dodged out of the way, his foot shooting out to meet the ninja's knee, but Kurogane spun expertly out of the way and landed a blow on the kid's back with his knee. Evron laughed as he whirled around, arm reaching out and nicking the ninja's cheek with surprising strength.

"Geez, Kuro-bozu, you sure are short tempered, aren't you?" the boy chuckled, avoiding another blow. "It's a shame, really. I was hoping we could just chat for a while."

"Too bad," Kurogane growled, throwing another punch toward his gut. The teen chuckled as he dodged out of the way, but his laughter turned quickly to a hiss of pain as the swordsman's foot connected with his side. Growling, the teenager spun around and, grabbing the ninja's ankle, pulled him closer and buried his fist in his throat.

The swordsman gasped, struggling to breathe as he stumbled back, almost falling over.

"Learn something from my sister, then?" he hissed. "That was stupid off you."

"Sh-shu-" the swordsman choked as he collapsed. Evron laughed as he lifted him up with surprising strength.

"It's a shame," he muttered. "You were so much fun, too."

The ninja managed to catch his breath, finally, as the teenager pulled out a small pocket knife. Taking a deep breath, Kurogane twisted out of the teen's reach and kicked up, flipping backwards, landing a few feet away.

"Flexible, are we?" the boy hissed, grinning evilly. "Perhaps you're stronger than I thought."

"Or perhaps you're just a weak little boy," the swordsman snapped, breathing heavily. Evron shrugged.

"I doubt it."

He attacked again, darting forward and slicing through the swordsman's shirt as he dodged back, drawing blood. The ninja was sickened by the amusement that crossed his face, and ducked forward, slipping under his arm as he went to attack again and turning gracefully to plant a kick in his back. The blonde laughed as he dodged easily, eyes gleaming with insanity.

Kurogane had a very, very bad feeling about this.

--

_He forgot Sohi. He __**forgot**__ fucking __**Sohi**__._

The mage paced back and forth nervously. He'd given the sword to Makayla the blade as soon as he found it, and she smiled easily, promising that the swordsman would be fine even without his sword, and that he should calm down and get some sleep. But he couldn't. He was terrified that maybe, _**just maybe**_, the ninja was attacked, and he hadn't been able to defend himself. _What if he's hurt? Oh god, what if he's __**dead**__?!_

"Fai, calm down, he's fine," Makayla called through the door. "Worst case scenario he gets lost on the way home. Don't worry, Evron wouldn't approach him right now, and even if he did, he wouldn't fight, he'd run. So just… don't worry."

_That doesn't help, moron._

"I'm fine, Kayla," he replied, still pacing. "I'm just… thinking."

The author didn't reply, for which the magician was grateful. He was worried enough that he didn't have the energy to keep his mask up… even though he knew the writer could see through it just as easily as the ninja.

_Kurogane… please be okay…_

--

_I'm fucking screwed._ The ninja gasped for air as he managed to avoid another blow from Evron's knife but ended up running into the teen's foot as he swept around to kick him. Apparently his sister wasn't the only one who could manipulate his defense to their advantage.

The swordsman could have laughed at himself. Here he was, the most feared ninja in Japan, and he was getting his ass kicked by a child. An insane, mentally unstable child with a knife and really good instincts, but a child none the less. It was… pathetic.

He narrowly avoided yet another swipe with the teen's pocket knife and leapt back to avoid his foot, instead hitting a wall a few feet behind him.

_Dammit…_

"Kuro-bozu's slowing," the boy sang, darting in and slicing through his arm and laughing as he licked the blood from his blade. "Is he tired already?"

The swordsman grimaced. Growling at him, he fell backward, and when the teen came in for an attack he spun out of the way and landed a blow on the back of his neck with his elbow.

"At least your sister has style," he muttered, turning to face him. The teen growled and, smiling coldly, he darted forward ad kicked at his side. Kurogane grabbed his foot and tossed it away, intending to throw the teen off balance, but the blonde smirked as he fell forward and, grabbing the ninja's arm so he couldn't dodge, plunged the knife deep into his gut.

_Fuck._

Blood forced its way up his throat, and he coughed, covering the blonde with the warm red liquid. He grinned weakly down at his opponent, who pulled the knife from his stomach and smiled coldly as he fell.

"_**Never**_ compare me to my sister," he hissed, plunging the knife into the ninja's back, who let out a hiss of pain.

"I- I can-" he was interrupted by the teen removing the knife again and thrusting it into his arm.

"You can do _**nothing**_," he snapped. "Absolutely _**nothing**_."

The blonde paused for a moment as he removed the weapon again before grinning down at him.

"I think," he said, bringing the blade up to his mouth and licking the blood off, "that Fai will be most distressed by your death."

Kurogane couldn't make out what he was saying. The only words he could understand were "Fai" and "death", but they were enough.

_He's going to hurt Fai,_ the ninja thought, struggling to remain conscious. _Have to… stop him…_

Summoning up some hidden reserve of strength, he forced himself to his feet and grabbed the blonde. Ignoring the pain in his arms and chest.

"Leave… him… alone," he gasped, pulling the startled teen toward him. Evron's eyes widened, and the ninja was vaguely aware of a slight flicker of fear as he reached over and pulled the knife from his hands.

"You're going to defend that dumbass?" he whispered. "Why?"

The ninja could remember laughing.

"Because… I… l-love… him…"

Everything went blank.

**A/N; Okay, I really hate this chapter. I can't write fight scenes that well… I mean, it's different if both characters have a weapon, but Kurogane-sama was unarmed… I feel so ashamed.**

**Leave a review? Pretty please? No matter how unworthy I am for such nice readers and Kurogane-sama fangirls that won't hunt me down with torches and pitchforks?**


	17. Finding The Feather

_Disclaimer; I don't own _Tsubasa_._

Finding The Feather

Fai jumped as his door was thrown open, revealing a panic-stricken Makayla and a pale Syaoran. He smiled weakly at them.

"What's wrong?" he asked nonchalantly. Makayla opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a strangled laugh.

"Kurogane-san… he…" Syaoran muttered. Fai's smile fell.

"What happened?!" he demanded, looking from Makayla to Syaoran and back again. Makayla took a deep breath.

"Apparently I'm too much of an optimist for my own good," she muttered. "Punctured his lung, nicked his heart, and put a really bad hole in his stomach that, luckily enough, missed all vital points."

Fai stared at her, his mouth suddenly dry. He swallowed a couple times before repeating, "What happened?"

Makayla glanced pleadingly at Syaoran. The archeologist gulped and shook his head. The writer turned back to the magician.

"Evron," she said simply. Fai stared at her, heart slowly filling with dread.

"But… you said…" he stuttered, "you said… he'd be fine…"

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

"You said… Evron wouldn't attack him during the day…" he was rambling, he could tell. "That he wasn't that stupid… that the worst that could happen would be him getting lost on the way back to the apartment…

"You promised," he whispered, staring at her. "You told me not to worry, that he'd be alright."

Fai began laughing like a maniac.

"Syaoran, go," she muttered to the terrified boy. "Go make sure Sakura-chan's alright."

The archeologist glanced at Fai before nodding once and disappearing.

"You promised he'd be alright," he accused her. "You said Evron wouldn't attack him in broad daylight, that he wouldn't even approach him! _**You fucking promised me he'd be fucking fine!!**_"

Tears streamed unchecked down his cheeks.

"_**You**_ _**promised me**_," he snapped. The writer stared at the floor.

"I know," she muttered. "I'm sorry."

"Whatever," he hissed before beginning to laugh again. "God I'm such an idiot! I actually… hahahahahahahahaha!"

Makayla walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder. He flinched away, still laughing.

"I… I just…" he gasped between laughs, "I…"

Makayla sighed and left. Fai buried his face in his pillows and sobbed.

--

Evron growled at the surgeons working on his leg. _Damn ninja… almost dead and he still managed to get me. What did I do wrong? I thought I had his strength assessed correctly… no, I punctured his lung, made sure to get his heart, too… he shouldn't have been able to __**breathe**__, let alone take my own damn knife from me and stab me with it. So what the hell happened?_

"Dammit!" he shouted suddenly, startling the surgeons. "I did everything right! How the hell did he survive?!"

The surgeons glanced at one another. Evron smiled.

_I can still break him… because he loves that magician._

--

…_Fai. Did Evron get him? I swear, if that bastard did anything to him, I'll rip him in two._

…_Wait. What happened back there? There's no way in hell I shoulda lost to that kid…_

"_Kurogane-sama?"_

_Dammit, what?! I'm trying to think, here._

"_Kurogane-sama, can you hear me?"_

_What the hell kinda question's that? Of course I can fucking hear you. You're too loud to be ignored._

…_My head's killing me._

"_Kurogane-sama, if you can hear me, Fai's fine."_

_Thank god. I'm still gonna rip that jackass in two._

"_Evron'll live, though you did bury that knife rather deep."_

…_What? I… knifed him? But… I didn't do anything! I __**couldn't**__ do anything, he fucking ripped my fucking lung open!_

"_Kuro-rin, when'll you be up? I'm booooooooooooored!"_

…_Fai? I don't give a damn if your bored, how do you think I felt when you were out of it for six fucking days?! Shit, I was trying to fucking protect you before I passed out, and you're complaining of __**boredom**__?!_

"_Fai, be nice. It's only been a few days, and he was hurt way worse than you."_

…_A few… days? Holy shit, I'm getting lazy!_

"_And anyway, Fai, he's not even in a coma, so he could wake up at any moment."_

_Dammit! I'm awake, I just can't fucking see…or move… or speak! But I'm fucking awake!_

"_But I'm booooooooooooored. Syaoran-kun and Sakura-chan aren't allowed to visit, and Kuro-sama's always sleeping…"_

"_Well, there's nothing I can do about that. He just got outta quarantine. Of course, if we move him out of your room you can see Sakura and Syaoran, but only staff and volunteers can see Kurogane-sama."_

_That's the stupidest rule in existence. And whaddaya mean, quarantine? Why was I quarantined?_

"_That's a silly rule."_

_**See?!**_

"_I know, but there's still a chance of infection, even if it seems unlikely. In all honesty, he shouldn't have left the clean room until tomorrow. Two days isn't long enough to be sure he'll be fine."_

"_But it's Kuro-pyon! He's tough!"_

"_He's also injured… too badly for someone who was fighting a teenager."_

_Finally we agree on something. Now stop talking, my head's killing me._

"_I think… Evron has Sakura-chan's feather."_

_Hmm? Evron… has the feather? No… wonder…_

--

Makayla glanced at the unconscious ninja before turning to Fai again.

"What makes you think he has the feather?" he asked, cocking his head to one side as if he was curious. The author chuckled softly.

"For one, we both know that no one should be able to do this to him and only walk away with a knife in their leg," she explained, frowning. "And didn't you say the feather was powerful? Enough so that it might be able to effect the signals your brain sends out?"

The mage seemed to think about this a moment. Then he smiled brightly.

"Hyuu! You're so smart!" he teased. Makayla sighed and massaged her temples.

"You know, that's really irritating," she snapped. Fai raised an eyebrow.

"What is?" he asked, still smiling. The writer sighed.

"You don't believe me, do you?" she asked, smiling. "My dad gets the exact same look in his eye when he thinks I'm drawing conclusions based off nothing."

The magician chuckled.

"I don't think you're jumping to conclusions," he assured her. "It's just…"

"You don't believe me," she repeated. The mage chuckled and nodded.

"It's a little hard to believe," he admitted. Makayla grinned. She loved a challenge.

"Not really," she laughed. "Think about it. If he could manipulate the feather's magic enough, he could slow someone's reaction time. Like what he did with you. You normally wouldn't go down that easily would you?"

The magician frowned.

"Yeah, but I was injured," he pointed out. Makayla shook her head.

"Even injured, you should have lasted longer. And Kurogane-sama. He was completely fine, and yet he ended up with a punctured lung and a hole in his stomach. But he shouldn't have. In fact, Evron shouldn't have been able to touch him. Even without Sohi, Kurogane-sama had the upper hand, with his speed and strength. He should have been able to defeat him quite easily. Evron might be strong, but he's not that strong. And then there was that…"

She fell silent. _All that flat lining… he might have something to do with it. If he __**could**__ use the feather's power to manipulate brain signals, couldn't he just as easily cut them off all together? As an experiment, perhaps… but that would mean he either a) hasn't had it very long, or b) has had it a while and was learning __**how**__ to manipulate it until that day…_

"There was what?" the wizard asked, snapping her back to the present. She stared at him.

"Well… there was an incident shortly after you checked in," she explained briefly. "Everyone in the ICU's heart failed almost simultaneously. But then afterward only Kurogane-sama, Kaylee and I seemed bothered by it. I was thinking… what if it was an experiment? Seeing how weeks of hard work paid off…"

"Using ICU patients?" Fai asked skeptically. "Why would he do that?"

Makayla glanced up at him.

"I-C-U stands for Intensive Care Unit," she said after a moment. "Everyone in here was in pretty bad shape except for Kurogane-sama. It would have been easy for their families to think it was a medical mistake, with how many drugs some of them were on."

"How many people died?" he asked quietly. The writer stared down at the floor.

"Twelve," she said after a moment. Silence reigned until she grinned up at him. "But at least you survived, right?"

The wizard smiled sadly as he sat on the edge of his bed.

"I don't know…" he muttered, glancing at the ninja. "Maybe…"

Makayla jumped as a low growl came from the swordsman.

"Idiot… mage," he muttered. The writer turned toward him. His eyes were narrowed with annoyance, and he was struggling to sit up. Chuckling, the twenty-one year old moved to sit by Fai.

"You're awake," she noted. He growled at her.

"No shit, Captain Obvious," he snapped. "I also feel as if I had my back stabbed with a rather dull knife and a teenager's fist in my throat."

"Hyuu," Fai whispered. "Kuro-cranky's in a bad mood."

He glared at the mage for a moment before sighing and collapsing on his pillows.

"Damn," he muttered. "What the hell happened? All I remember is taking that damn knife from him before blacking out. You -" he pointed accusingly at Makayla, who was filled with a vague sense of amusement as he almost ripped the I.V off his arm - "said something about me stabbing the ass."

The writer stared at him. _He was conscious…?_

"Yeah," she said, grinning. "You stabbed his right leg. Pretty deep, too. Surgeons had trouble getting the blade out, it had snapped and the handle was half buried in his thigh. You could hear them swearing from here." She chuckled. "He'll be fine, though. He won't be able to walk properly for a _**long**_ time, if ever, but he'll live. We've assigned him a psychiatrist, too. What else did you hear?"

The swordsman growled again.

"I heard you shouting at the mage about Evron having the princess's feather," he mumbled. "That he was using it to manipulate brain signals or some shit like that, and that all of those patients…" his eyes narrowed dangerously. "All those patients… and Fai… they were all guinea pigs so he could see just how well he could use it."

"So you heard everything?" she summarized. He shook his head.

"No… I um, well I…" he flushed. "I blacked out… for a minute or two… why did he use the ICU patients?"

The writer laughed.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "No one'd believe me, anyway."

"Hmm…" the swordsman muttered, his eyes closing. "Right. Whatever you say…"

He yawned.

"Tired, Kuro-chan?" Fai asked, laughing. The ninja flushed as his eyes shot open.

"N-no! What kinda question's that? I'm fine, dammit!"

Makayla chuckled as she slid the door shut. _I'll leave them alone for now._ She laughed. _I wouldn't wanna be Fai when he starts throwing things, his aim with a needle is deadly._

Chuckling to herself, she headed for the cafeteria. _I should check on the others… and tell them about the feather. Mokona-chan should be able to sense it now._

_And anyway, I don't have the desire to see my parents start making out._

**A/N; Whew. Their time in this world'll be a little longer than I expected… damn Evron. And I apologize for any severe OOCness on Fai's part... he kinda snapped...**

**Okay, before I forget. I received a comment a couple chapters back from someone I'm not sure if I can name without them getting mad at me stating how Makayla seems to guess everything correctly. Here's why; In every room in the ICU is a video camera for security purposes. The security office is right by the ICU in this hospital. Just put two and two together, and you'll understand how. It confused me, too, at first.**

**Reviews? Pretty pretty please?**


	18. Hot Chocolate And Kisses

_Disclaimer; __**DISCLAIMER**__._

Hot Chocolate And Kisses

The next day brought an insane amount of wind and rain. Fai shivered as he wrapped his blanket tighter around his shoulders and stared at the ninja sleeping in the bed across from his. He was amazed at how he could sleep now, with all the noise from the storm outside. Even through the thick walls of their hospital room he could hear the trees thrashing about, knocking into the building frequently and startling the magician.

_I guess he's really tired,_ he thought, chuckling softly as he marveled at how calm the other man looked. _Even scary ninja can sleep like big babies._

"Are you just going to stare at him all day?"

Fai jumped and turned guiltily to face Makayla as she entered the room carrying a large wooden tray.

"Good morning, Kayla," he greeted cheerfully, pulling the blanket even tighter. "Aren't you cold?"

The twenty-one year old, dressed in a red, sleeveless, V-neck t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, raised a sympathetic eyebrow at him.

"You aren't used to the weather yet?" she asked, setting down the tray to reveal five steaming mugs of hot chocolate as he shook his head. "I figured. Here, I made you some cocoa."

The mage smiled as he grabbed a cup of the warm liquid and held it up so he could feel the steam rising against his face as she shook the ninja awake.

"Hey, lazy, wake up and smell the smuggled liquids!" she scolded lightly. The swordsman glared at her as he turned his head to face the magician.

"What the hell are you drinking?" he asked suspiciously. Makayla scoffed at him.

"What, you don't like hot chocolate?" she asked, faking hurt. "I'm offended. Here I thought you'd appreciate something besides this crappy hospital water to drink, and this is the thanks I get? I spent so much time making it, and then I had to smuggle it in…"

The ninja growled as he rolled over onto his back and sat up, grabbing a mug of the steaming liquid from the tray.

"Happy?" he snapped, cupping his hands around it. The writer grinned.

"Yes, very much," she said happily, picking up the tray. "Rest up and enjoy your beverages!"

She grinned at them as she left.

Smiling, Fai lifted his cup to his lips and took a sip of the warm liquid, enjoying the warmth it spread throughout his freezing body. He smiled at the ninja, noticing as he did so that his cup lay ignored on the floor.

"Aren't you going to drink yours, Kuro-rin?" the magician asked, taking another sip. The swordsman glanced at him.

"It's too warm, moron," he snapped. The wizard stared at him for a moment before climbing out of bed and picking the mug up, gazing at it for a minute.

"What the hell are you doing?" the swordsman snapped finally. "I'll drink it when I cools off!"

The mage grinned, taking a mouthful of the chocolate and doing his best not to spit it out. _Wow, this is really hot._

"Idiot," the ninja growled, sitting up. "Don't kill yourse-"

He was cut off as the wizard leaned forward and locked their lips together, depositing the now cool liquid in his mouth before pulling away and turning around so the swordsman couldn't see the blush coloring his cheeks. There was a loud gulp as Kurogane swallowed the hot chocolate. Fai took a deep breath.

"Cool enough?" the mage asked, turning and grinning at him, heart pounding. The ninja nodded dumbly.

"Y-yeah… thanks," he muttered, blushing furiously. The magus was surprised by the lack of yelling.

"Kuro-pyon?" he asked, cautiously reaching out and feeling his forehead. "Are you okay?"

The ninja nodded. They stayed that way for a minute, Fai's hand resting on Kurogane's cheek, until a shiver shot up his spine, and he pulled his hand away and turned back to his bed, shaking violently as he grabbed his blanket and pulled it tightly around his shoulders. He was about to get back in bed when he felt something grab his hand.

"Why?" the ninja growled suddenly. Fai glanced back at him, but the swordsman was staring at the ceiling.

"Why what, Kuro-tan?" the magician asked innocently. The swordsman growled, still not looking at him.

"You know damn well what," he muttered. Fai glanced at him again before turning his gaze to the floor.

"Oh… well…" he stopped. _I love you so much, Kuro-rin, too much, and it scares me, because I can barely stand to call you "Kurogane" in my head anymore because it represents distance, and I can't distance myself from you, because I just love you so__much it __**hurts**__ when I think about it, but I can't stand it when you reject me so I joke about it and make it into a game, so that you won't leave me. I have to tell you. I have to tell you how I feel, before it's too late…_

"I guess…" he started hesitantly, "I guess it's because I l-"

_You're just an annoying bug to him. _

_You have no right to love or __**be**__ loved._

_You caused so much pain…_

_He deserves better._

"N-no rea-"

_He doesn't want better. He wants you._

_I love you, dammit!_

"I… I don't know," he whimpered, squeezing the ninja's hand. "I just… I love you, I really do, but you deserve so much better, Kuro-sama. You really do."

"Idiot."

The mage was tugged backwards until he was lying on top of the ninja, who hissed slightly as the mage landed on him, but clutched him tightly to his chest anyway.

"Kuro…rin?" the magician gasped, trying to pull away from him. "You're going to reopen your wounds-"

"I don't care," the swordsman hissed into his hair. "I don't give a fuck. I'm _**not**_ letting you go."

"B-but, you'll hurt yourself-" the mage stuttered. Kurogane sat up completely, causing the mage to fall backwards a few inches before the wounded man caught him and pulled him closer. Fai stared into his deep red eyes as the swordsman leaned forward and kissed him roughly.

They broke apart after a few seconds as the swordsman pulled away, coughing violently.

"Kuro-muu?" the magician cried worriedly, placing one hand on his forehead.

"I'm fine," he snapped, snatching the hand away from his face. "Just… sorry."

The magician wasn't convinced.

"Are you sure?" he asked, frowning. The ninja sighed and maneuvered the hand he was holding until it was directly above his heart. The magician could feel it beating violently against his ribs.

"Don't worry," he muttered, flushing. "If ripping a few stitches is all it takes to prove I'm not lying to you, I obviously got lucky somewhere."

Fai stared at him for a moment before grinning and leaning in to kiss him again.

"I believe you," he whispered, capturing the swordsman's lips for a brief moment. "Just take care of yourself."

The warrior grinned.

"I will," he promised. "You can count on that."

"It's a deal, then?" the magician suggested, cocking his head to one side. Kurogane nodded.

"Deal," he agreed. Fai leaned in and kissed him again.

"Then I have your word," he teased, sliding off him. "Get well soon, Kuro-pii."

The swordsman grinned again.

"Whatever, idiot."

**A/N; I feel like I went overboard with the sap… but when I reread it I couldn't bring myself to change any of it… so I apologize for the constant OOCness and sap. But it was so fun to write… and I figured it would be nice if I didn't have one of them obtain a serious injury this chapter.**

**Reviews? Please? Pretty please with sugar and hot chocolate and Seth on top?**


	19. Flight

_Disclaimer; I still don't own _Tsubasa_. Sorry._

Flight

Evron slowly opened one eye and watched the guards at his door. They had their backs to him, obviously not really caring if anything happened to him. The teen chuckled. As fun as it was to torment his guards, they never moved, and he'd rather not waste time on them, anyway. After all, he didn't need magic to know how to pick a lock, and that was the easiest method of getting past them he could think of at the moment. Oh, he knew there were simpler options, but something about having the hilt of a knife forcibly removed from his leg was preventing him from remembering what they were.

_At least they're all too idiotic to notice anything._

Smiling at the guards' backs, he grabbed the wheelchair a short distance away and pulled himself into it. Perhaps this wasn't too bad, now that he thought about it. No one really expected a cripple to be able to get past three armed guards, after all. In fact, he was relatively certain the only reason they were armed with such deadly looking weapons was because Makayla and Fye had warned them that he was "mentally unstable". He smirked at the thought.

_If I'm "mentally unstable" what does that make them?_

Chuckling softly, he pulled a twist tie out of his pocket and headed for a drawer nearby that he had seen one of the nurses put a needle full of sedatives in.

_Ironic, really, that the one thing the majority of these fools trust in is going to allow their worst nightmare to escape._

With a soft click the drawer was unlocked and the blonde slid it open noiselessly, checking that the guards hadn't noticed. They stood motionless at their positions in the hallway. Evron allowed a brief smile of triumph flit across his features before turning back to the task at hand.

The drawer in question was filled with paperwork. Sighing, the teenager began to pull the documents out and set them on the desk, noting as he did so how much Makayla's room at Fye's house looked before she moved out. A small writing desk was pushed up against the wall across from him a small window to the right of it, sealed shut. A few feet away was his bed, facing the door in a way that he could observe anyone passing by. The desk he was currently working at was against the wall opposite it, a few feet from the door. The teen smirked. _If I remember correctly, all the rooms she volunteers in look like this._

_How… ironic._

Wheeling himself over to the writing desk, he reached down carefully and fingered the knob of the bottom left hand drawer.

_It was in here, I believe._

He pulled the drawer open to reveal a thin ebony laptop with a blood red dragon decorating the top. He chuckled softly as he ran his hand along the intricate design before pulling it out and opening it, absentmindedly hitting the power button. The start up screen flashed momentarily before fading to black, a golden box reading _Password?_ appearing.

The teenager glanced back at the guards again before typing in _Jason_ and waited while the desktop loaded. He scanned through her files quickly, looking for something he might find useful. A small, blue, beeping icon caught his eye and the teen clicked on it, waiting a minute before it opened into a small black box that read;

_**Raisu National Hospital Security System**_

_**System Armed**_

_**Video Feed Enabled**_

_**User code; 1-4143-0203-7**_

_**View Camera Feed **__**Edit Security Status**_

Evron stared at it for a moment before clapping his hand over his mouth to stifle a fit of laughter. _This moron has a connection to the security system on a laptop she left in a __**patient's**__ room! How stupid can she get?_

He took a moment to compose himself before hitting the link to the security status. He had to admit, despite his sister's stupidity she still proved useful now and then. Leaning back, the teen winced slightly. _Dammit, the morphine's wearing off. Damn ninja. Damn nurses. Damn possibility of getting addicted. My leg hurts like hell._

_I wonder if I can torment Fai when I leave?_

The blonde boy chuckled softly at the memory of how he acted when they first met, when he _**wasn't**_ influencing his actions. Priceless. All that anguish…

A soft beep from the computer snapped him out of his thoughts. Checking that the guards were occupied with their tasks, he glanced at the computer screen, eager to finish so he could get out of this hell-hole called a hospital. Unfortunately, it appeared Fate had different plans.

The screen had been replaced by a picture of a teenage Makayla and Fye hanging off the shoulders of a tall man with short, spiky black hair and crimson eyes, scowling at the camera, even though his eyes sparkled with a vague amusement. Evron growled.

_Kurogane. That annoying ass, always screaming at everything that moved wrong around him, acting as if I didn't even exist. That bastard who let Aya die…_

The blonde shook his head forcefully, hitting the enter key so the screen saver vanished and was replaced by a crimson box with blue writing reading, _Disarm security system?_

With a pang of annoyance the teen realized that the red was the _**exact**_ color of his father's eyes, as the blue was the _**exact**_ color of Fye's. Damn Makayla had colored everything so that it fit her stupid ass parents! Evron resisted the urge to throw the computer against the opposite wall as he hit the _yes_ button. _She'll pay for this in time,_ he promised himself. _And for all these damn passwords, too._

He sighed as he retyped _Jason_ a third time, but the screen returned stating that he had the incorrect password. Eyes narrowing impatiently, the teen tried _Seth_ instead, but received the exact same results.

_Dammit… alright, then. That means it would probably be…_

_An Angel's Tears._

The boy grinned as the window popped up again reading _**System Disarmed**_.

--

"Kuro-tan, we're officially a couple now, right?"

Kurogane turned toward the magician, putting Sohi down.

"Where'd that come from?" he asked, frowning. Fai grinned.

"Well… I was thinking that since we're a couple now…" he paused, his smile softening as he heard his own words. Not that the ninja could blame him. A strange jolt had shot through him at the mention of them being a couple. He smiled at the magician, who blushed slightly.

"A-anyway, since we're a couple," he repeated, blush deepening. "I was wondering if I could tell Kayla and the others."

"No," the swordsman answered immediately, lifting Sohi again. His stomach and back painfully protested this, and he dropped it a few inches.

"But why not?" the magician pouted. Kurogane sighed as he sheathed his sword and turned toward him.

"One, that girl probably already knows, the us-es of this world being her parents," he pointed out, massaging his shoulder, "and two, if that manjuu finds out he'll never shut up about it."

The mage looked downcast for a moment before smiling brightly.

"Can I tell them when we get outta the hospital?" he asked, looking hopeful, his eyes widening until he looked like a dog. The ninja sighed again.

"Dammit, fine!" he snapped. "But not a day before!"

"Okay!" The wizard leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. "Whatever you say, Kuro-sama."

Kurogane flushed and shoved him off quickly as the door slid open.

"It's only me," Makayla said dryly, walking in with a tray carrying two plates of what appeared to be chicken. "Though you might have locked the door, at least."

The swordsman glared at Fai who glanced at him with a confused look on his face.

"We did," he muttered, taking the plate she handed to him. Makayla frowned.

"Weird," the writer mumbled, handing a plate to Fai, "I was sure the door to the ICU was locked, too…"

The ninja raised an eyebrow as he bit into his meal.

"What's wrong, Kurogane-sama?" she asked, turning toward him. The swordsman swallowed.

"Is there any other way to unlock the doors from outside?" he inqueried, setting his plate down. The writer nodded.

"If the security system's disarmed all doors and windows unlock," she informed them. "But only I have the password for that, and the system is installed on… my… computer oh _**crap!!**_"

The two men stared at her.

"My laptop," she gasped. "One of the nurses took it and put it in the last room I visit everyday, I think he might have guessed the passwords!"

Kurogane was filled with a strange sense of dread.

"He?" the ninja repeated. Makayla nodded, hands covering her mouth. "Who?"

"Ev…ron…" she muttered, staring at them in horror before bolting out the door. The swordsman tried to follow after her, but Fai pushed him back onto his pillows.

"What are you doing?!" he snapped. "That idiot-"

"You promised," the mage reminded gently, tapping his chest lightly. "You swore to me you'd take care of yourself."

"But…" _I can't let him hurt you again!_

The ninja glanced out the door, then at the magician, then out the door again. Fai must have understood, because he leaned forward and kissed the swordsman again.

"Silly Kuro-rin," he laughed. "He won't be able to hurt me. You crippled him, remember?"

Kurogane glared at him.

"I'm not worried about your physical condition," he muttered, sitting up again and pulling his boyfriend to his chest. "I don't want him hurting _**you**_, as a person."

He could feel the mage tense as he pulled away and stared at him for a moment. The ninja gazed back at him determinedly until the wizard smiled softly, one of those rare, beautifully genuine smile he rarely wore that made his heart skip several beats, and snuggled against the larger man's chest.

"You don't hafta worry about that," he muttered, still smiling. "You don't have to be close by to protect me there."

The swordsman smiled into the wizard's hair.

"I know," he muttered, kissing his head lightly. "Promise me you'll be careful anyway."

The mage chuckled as he pulled away again, reaching up and kissing him lightly.

"I promise," he said quietly, burying himself in the swordsman's chest again right as Makayla came rushing into the room again. The ninja blushed deeply and tensed to kick something at her if it wasn't an emergency.

"We have a problem," she said, ignoring the position the two men were in. "Evron's gone. His guards were all unconscious outside his room."

Fai stared at her as he detached himself from Kurogane's shirt.

"But that would mean…" he said slowly. The ninja growled

"The nurses say they saw him in the security office, but when I went in there all the guards were gone, and his knife was missing," she explained hurriedly. "I've called the police, of course, and they're searching for him, but I think…"

"He wanted the knife," Fai said slowly. "Which half did he take?"

The ninja glanced at him sharply before turning toward Makayla as she replied hurriedly, in a horrified voice, "He took the hilt…"

Kurogane glanced between them. They both looked as if they had just realized something, but he didn't see anything important in what was said. Silence reigned as he tried to figure it out.

"Alright, what the hell's so great about the damn hilt?!" he snapped finally. Fai turned toward him.

"It had some very interesting markings on it… and it cut too sharply for such a dull blade."

And then the ninja realized what that meant.

"The hilt's the feather."

**A/N; Yay! The chapter from Hell is finished. No, seriously, I hated this chapter. I don't like writing in Evron's POV… he kinda scares me… something about the whole "manipulate your brain" thing just creeps me right out. I swear, I was in church today and I was thinking about where the feather should be (cuz I only planned up to chapter 17, so I took time in church to think up how the rest of it'll go) and I had an insane urge to shout out "THE DEVIL CHILD!! RUUUUUUUNNNNNNN!!" when I was thinking about how he uses it. I went to the bathroom and splashed my face with cold water instead. But at least now I know what's going to happen from here on. Oh, and Kurogane-sama's lifting Sohi to keep up his strength while incapacitated, and that's all he can do for the moment that won't rip out his stitches.**

**Reviews? Please? A request from a starving author?**


	20. Phone Calls

_Disclaimer; I don't own _Tsubasa_._

Phone Calls

Kaylee sighed as she flipped through the video feed, looking for anything that might point to where Evron was. She'd been doing this for hours, ever since he'd escaped, and still she had yet to notice anything other than how he'd spent an extraordinary amount of time writing on napkins.

_Wait… what was that?_

The psychiatrist rewinded the tape and leaned in closer, pausing it so she could try and make the image out. _That's…_

She jumped as her cell phone rang, and, casting a quick glance back at the image, she answered it.

"Hello?" The psychiatrist greeted cheerfully.

"_Is Makayla-san there?_" Sakura's timid voice came from over the receiver. Kaylee flinched at the title.

"No, Makayla's not here. I thought she was with Kurogane and Fai," she answered quickly. "Why?"

There was silence

"Sakura?" the twenty-four year old said, concerned.

"Huh?" the teenager gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry, I must of dozed off… no, she's not with Kurogane-san and Fai-san. They said she was going to ask you about something. Are you sure she's not there? It's important."

"Yeah, I'm su-" she stopped as Makayla entered the room, whistling cheerfully. "Wait, she just got here. Hold on a minute."

She covered the mouth piece before addressing Makayla, "Sakura needs to talk to you She said it's important."

The writer smiled at her.

"Thank you," she said, accepting the phone and turning her attention to Sakura. "Hi, Sakura-chan! Huh? Yes, I'm fi- what's wrong? S- Saku-Sakura! Calm down! Did- did you look in the cafeteria?" Silence. "Okay, then did you ask Kurogane-sama? Wa- SAKURA! Calm down and speak clearly!" More silence, though Kaylee thought she could hear someone sobbing. "What about Syaoran-kun? Does he know? Wait, Sakura, calm down! Does Syaoran know?" The psychiatrist was certain now that someone was crying, and very loudly by the sound of it. "Sakura-chan, calm down. Think. He wouldn't leave Kurogane-sama all alone, right?" There was the sound of muffled crying coming from the phone now. Silence reigned, until - "_**What?! Where the fuck is he?! Dammit, Sakura, stop crying and find him!**_"

It was at this point that Kaylee wrenched the phone from her friend's grasp.

"Sakura? What's wrong?" she asked gently.

"_F-fai-san… he's g-gone! A-and no one knows w-where h-he is, a-and he's s-still injured!_" the teenager wailed into the phone.

"Shhhh," the shrink soothed. "We'll find him, okay?"

"_B-but not even K-kurogane-san kn-knows w-where h-he i-is,_" she sobbed. "_And I-I d-don't th-think h-he'll s-stay p-put much l-longer, h-he l-looks r-real-really m-mad!_"

The psychiatrist took a deep breath to calm herself.

"I'll be there in a minute, okay," she assured the younger girl. "So calm down. We'll find him."

"_O-ok-okay,_" Sakura whispered. "_B-but wh-what I-if E-evron g-got h-him a-again?_"

"We'll find him," Kaylee repeated, more firmly. "And he'll be fine, alright?"

"_Y-yeah…_" the teen whimpered.

"Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes," the twenty-four year old promised, hanging up the phone.

"Kaylee, when was this?" Makayla asked suddenly, crouching in front of the television. Kaylee glanced back at her.

"Um… around six-thirty this morning," she replied, glancing at the time on the tape and crouching beside her. "Do you know what that is?"

She pointed to the mysterious object on screen. Makayla nodded.

"Yeah," she muttered. "You go, Sakura-chan's waiting for you. I'll clean this up."

The psychiatrist nodded, hesitating at the door when she went to leave.

"Um, Makayla?" she said nervously. The younger girl turned and grinned at her.

"What is it?" she asked cheerfully. Kaylee gulped.

"Be careful," she said quietly. Makayla glanced at her before turning back to the screen.

"I will," she lied. Kaylee sighed.

_She's too much like Mr. Fye for her own good._

--

_Where the hell is he?!_

The ninja grabbed Sohi and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. _Dammit, I don't give a fuck if I'm injured, I hafta find him…_

He hissed with pain as he stood, glancing around for a change of clothes. A terrified looking nurse entered the room.

"What?!" he snapped. She gulped loudly as she handed him a pair of dark blue jeans and a short sleeved black shirt.

"M-mr. F-fye asked me to bring th-these to you," she stuttered. For a moment the ninja thought she meant Fai, _**his**_ Fai, but then he remembered how the _**other**_ Fye was the one who ordered everyone around, and he growled as he took the clothes from her and waited until she left to change. It was slow work, his injuries still somewhat fresh and still hurting like hell, but he finally managed to get out of that ridiculous hospital gown and into the jeans. He glared at the shirt for a moment before deciding it would be too much of a pain to put it on and tossed it onto his bed, grabbing Sohi. Pain shot up his spine as th sheath brushed against his side, causing him to grasp the door handle for support.

_SHIT! That bastard better be okay when I find him, or I swear I'll kill him._

Growling, he successfully strapped Sohi to his waist and opened the door, ignoring Syaoran as he tried to get him to go back to bed.

"Kurogane-san! You're still injured!" he cried, pulling on his arm in a futile attempt to stop him. "Please, just go back to bed! You're scaring Sakura-hime!"

The swordsman ignored both him and the pain that shot through him as he shook his arm free.

"Kurogane-san, please!" the archeologist tried again to pull him back, and this time the ninja stopped and turned to glare at him.

"Let me go," he ordered quietly. Syaoran shook his head.

"I can't do that, Kurogane-san," he replied, gripping his arm more firmly. "You're injured very badly, and if I let you go you'll get hurt even more, and then Sakura-hime-"

"I don't care," the swordsman snapped. "_**I don't give a fuck.**_ I'm going to go look for him, and if you say one more word, I won't be the only one who gets hurt."

The kid paled at the thinly veiled threat but shook his head.

"You won't be of any use to Fai-san in your condition, Kurogane-san," he said, voice deceptively calm. Kurogane's eyes narrowed as he grabbed the archeologist and lifted him by his collar until he was level with him, ignoring his body's screams of protest.

"I'm going to go look for him," he hissed coldly. "and you're going to stay out of my way."

Syaoran stared at the ninja as he dropped him and turned to leave again.

"You can't help him right now, Kurogane-san," he repeated. The swordsman turned toward him again.

"I know that," he snapped at him. "I know! But what do you suggest I do, exactly? I can't just sit around, kid! I'm not you!"

Syaoran pushed himself up off the floor and shook his head.

"I know how you feel, Kurogane-san," he said sadly, "I really do. But you're overreacting."

"You don't have a _**fucking clue**_ how I feel!" the ninja shouted at him. Pain tore at his chest and stomach, but he ignored it. "If you had _**any goddamn idea**_ how I felt you wouldn't be stopping me!"

Syaoran remained silent as the swordsman stormed out of the ICU, head pounding with the amount of energy it took to keep moving. _Dammit… I hafta find Fai… before Evron…_

"Kurogane-sama?"

The ninja ignored Makayla as she jogged along beside him.

"Kurogane-sama, where the hell are you going?" she shouted at him, grabbing his arm. He stopped suddenly and whirled around to face her.

"I'm looking for Fai," he snapped, pulling his arm free and steadying himself on the wall. "Now leave me alone."

The author sighed as she pulled out her cell phone.

"I'll help," she muttered, dialing and putting the phone up to her ear as it started ringing. "Hold on, though, we won't be able to do much unless we know where Evron is, first."

The swordsman growled and turned to keep going, but she grabbed his arm again.

"Evron," she snarled. It took a moment before the ninja realized she wasn't talking to him. "Where the hell are you?" Silence. "Well tell me anyway!" More silence. "I won't tell the police, Evron!" More silence. And then Makayla went dead white. "I don't believe you." These silences were really starting to annoy Kurogane, who was finally able to stand straight, pain fading to a dull throb. But what the author said next sent chills down his spine.

"Fai?"

--

_Oh crap._

"_Fai! Are you alright?!_"

The mage grinned weakly into the phone.

"I'm fine, Kayla," he assured her, wincing as he tested his arm. _Oh yeah, it's broken._

"_Are you sure? Where are you?!_"

"I don't know," he replied, sighing as he leaned back, left hand holding the phone up to his ear. "Is Kuro-sama alright?"

Silence.

"Kayla?" he cried, alarmed. Evron traced the hilt of his knife down his broken arm, sending a wave of pain up his shoulder. He winced slightly but remained silent.

"_Would you like to talk to him?_"

The magician was startled by the question.

"He's with you? You're in our room?"

"_Yeah. Now do you want to talk to him or not?_"

"Yes, I would. Very much."

"_Alright. Here you go._" There was a brief pause until Kurogane's rough voice came over the receiver.

"_Mage! Where are you?! Did that bastard hurt you?!_"

The wizard was shaken by the worry in the ninja's voice.

"I'm fine, Kuro-tan. I don't know where I am."

"_You're lying. What did that ass do to you?!_"

"Nothing, Kuro-chan. I'm fine. Just a couple broken bones."

"_That isn't nothing! Fai, please, just…are you sure you don't know where you are?! How far from the hospital are you?!_"

Fai watched Evron closely as the teenager turned away, busying himself with a small stove a few feet away.

"I don't know. He jumped me, see, when I left to get something to eat."

"_Dammit! How long can you stay on the line?!_"

"I don't know, Kuro-pyon. Not much longer. Maybe about a minute."

"_Well, just… be careful, alright?! I'm going to find you, I promise!_"

Fai laughed. The phone beeped, warning him that the battery was low.

"That would be breaking your promise, Kuro-love."

"_I… I don't care! I __**will**__ find you!_"

The mage chuckled again and leaned against the wall behind him. The phone beeped again.

"I know, Kuro-rin. I know."

"_You should. You broke your promise already._"

"I did, didn't I? Well then, I'll make you a new one."

"_What?_"

"I'll still be alive when you get here, no matter how long it takes."

"_Deal. And I promise I won't let that bastard hurt you anymore._"

Fai chuckled as the phone beeped a third time.

"I know."

The phone died before the swordsman could say anything else.

**A/N; Ha! I managed to give Sakura and Syaoran a little screen time! Even if they are OOC, that's a huge accomplishment for me! Now I just hafta squeeze Mokona in… and on a completely separate note, "Youou" is a part of my spell check's memory now! Yay! It doesn't matter why, but it's there! And so is "Yuui"! Happy day!**

**Reviews? Please, oh wonderful reader who won't yell at me for my mean-ness?**


	21. Beautiful Crimson

_Disclaimer; Sorry, I'm still in one piece. I have no chance of owning _Tsubasa_._

Beautiful Crimson

Fai winced as Evron dropped a plate of what appeared to be eggs and peas on his broken arm.

"Eat," he ordered coldly, pulling the hilt to his knife out and running his hands over it. "I don't want you dying before that fool gets here."

The magician let out an involuntary laugh.

"Kuro-cranky _**isn't**_ a fool," he snapped. "And when he gets here you'll be eager to get rid of him."

The teenager chuckled as he squeezed the magician's arm tightly, drawing a hiss of pain from his victim.

"Oh believe me, I already want him gone," he hissed. "But the fun is in getting rid of him. If he leaves broken down, like an old toy, I'll win. If he leaves hating himself as much as me, I'll win. And I think I can guarantee the second one."

He opened the knife to reveal half of the blade, which he ran along the magician's arm, drawing blood as he went and sending an unbearable wave of pain through the wizard.

"All I have to do is break you, first."

The mage grinned at him.

"Good luck with that," he cheered him on, bracing himself as the teen narrowed his eyes. "But Kuro-manly doesn't need to worry about that!"

The blonde chuckled as he buried the broken blade into the wizard's arm. Fai cried out in pain as he removed it, causing blood to spray across the floor.

"I didn't mean mentally," he hissed. The boy laughed as he pointed at the plate. "Now eat, or you won't be any fun."

The mage gulped.

--

"Kurogane!"

The swordsman barely managed to brace himself against the doorway to Makayla's apartment when Seth tackled his legs.

"Nice to see you again, too, kid," the ninja muttered, inhaling sharply as pain shot through his stomach and chest. "But I'm not exactly in the condition for you to be attacking my legs right now."

Seth peered up at him and backed away sheepishly.

"Sorry," he whispered. "I forgot you were hurt."

The swordsman forced a smile at the child.

"Yeah, it's hard to remember when we haven't seen each other in a few days," he replied, crouching down and ruffling he boy's hair. "How've you been?"

Seth grinned brightly.

"I've been great!" he said cheerfully, taking the ninja's hand and leading him through the house. "My mommy left my babysitter with instructions to let me watch whatever I want, so he got me this really cool video about these guys who use really powerful light swords to cut each other up and they use magic to throw people backwards and choke them and lift things and there's this guy who was a good guy but he got scared and joined the bad guys and killed all the other bad guys and accidentally killed his wife but she didn't actually die until she gave birth to two babies and the babies were split up and taken away by two of the good guys and put on different places and on of the good guys was the only remaining good guy who had a light sword and could use magic, well there was his master, too, but he gave up on magic and his light sword so he couldn't really use them anymore and he went away from everyone because he was ashamed of his failure to stop the bad guys, but anyway the last good guy to use magic took the baby boy - oh yeah the babies were a boy and a girl - and the other good guy, one of the guys who makes big decisions for everyone, he took the baby girl. You should see it!"

Kurogane nodded, not really paying attention.

"Seth, Mr. Kurogane and I hafta discuss something important, okay?" Makayla told her son gently. "Why don't you go watch your movies, okay?"

The four year old pouted.

"But I _**never**_ get to take place in the big meetings," he whined. "Please Mommy, I wanna help! It's about Fai, I know it is, and-"

"How did you know it was about Fai?" the ninja interrupted him. Seth looked up at him, red eyes open wide in an expression the ninja prayed would never find it's way onto his face.

"Because you and Mommy smell like Fai and she looks really scared and you look really sad and you only ever look sad when something happens to Fai," he explained quickly. "Like when I first met you, when you were demonstrating I asked Auntie Kaylee why you were so sad and she said you were sad because Fai was hurt."

The swordsman glanced up at Makayla, who shrugged.

"Seth, please, go watch your movies," she begged him. The four year old cast a dejected glance at her before hanging his head and shuffling toward the next room. Kurogane found himself feeling sorry for him.

"Wait, kid," he called after him. "You can stay, but after that it's up to your mom, got it?"

Seth grinned brightly and ran up to him, giving him a quick hug.

"Thank you Kurogane really I mean it thank you!" he cried, pulling away from him and sitting on the couch. The ninja rolled his eyes and plopped down next to him, regretting it instantly as he disturbed his wounds and was overcome by a wave of pain.

"Shit!" he snapped, leaping to his feet, thus disturbing his wounds even more. "F- aaaahhhhhhh!"

He doubled over, feeling blood begin to soak through the bandages on his stomach. He could feel Seth push on his side, and he rolled over obediently as the four year old pressed something against his wound, holding it there. The ninja heard Makayla swear to herself as she gently pushed her son away.

Overcome with pain, the swordsman blacked out.

--

Fai groaned as he came to, his arm throbbing mercilessly and wrapped in what appeared to be a table cloth to staunch the bleeding from the first round of torture Evron had put him through. He winced as he forced himself up, head throbbing.

"Awake, are we?" Evron's cold voice came from the doorway. The mage turned toward him and grinning weakly.

"Good morning, Evron-chan," he greeted. The teen narrowed his eyes.

"Rather chipper, aren't you?" he snarled, pulling out the remains of his knife. "Perhaps I should change that…"

Smiling, the blonde boy reached over and slowly dug a hole into the magician's good shoulder. Tears of pain filled the sorcerer's eyes, but he struggled to keep his smile up.

_He'll be here. He promised._

Evron chuckled as blood leaking from his wound, and he pulled the blade out roughly, allowing the warm red liquid to flow quickly. The magician didn't stop smiling.

**A/N; Short and… crappily done. Ah, well. There was more to this chapter, but I decided to end it here lest it become like **_**Shitsui, Itazuki, Tonsou, Suki**_** and it's never ending chapters from hell. Sorry about the ending, the next chapters' be better, I promise.**


	22. Red Roses

_Disclaimer; I am C.L.A.M.P- Crazy Loud Annoying Moronic Person. I don't own _Tsubasa_._

Red Roses

"Kurogane?"

The ninja blinked, vision clearing enough to reveal a small, black haired boy with red eyes.

"Seth?" he muttered, sitting up. "What the hell happened?"

Seth smiled up at him.

"You're okay!" he said, relief evident in his voice. Oh good, Mommy said we were gonna have to take you to the hospital if you didn't wake up soon. Mr. Syaoran and Mokona are here, too, they got here a few minutes ago with Auntie Kaylee."

The ninja let out a dry laugh.

"Interesting," he muttered. "But what happened?"

Seth's smile faded.

"Mommy said you ripped some of your stitches when you stood up," he explained quietly. "And there was a lot of blood… and then she stitched you back up!"

His smile returned as Makayla and Mokona came in.

"Hiya, Mommy!" he greeted cheerfully. "Kurogane's awake!"

The writer grinned at him.

"Good job, Seth," she praised. Mokona jumped from the author's shoulder to the ninja's shoulder.

"Kuro-puu, we found out where Evron is!" he said ecstatically. "And we can go as soon as we're done with our big important top secret meeting!"

Kurogane felt the insane urge to throw him across the room.

"Well, where is he?" the ninja snapped, glaring at the manjuu.

"Well…" Kaylee started, glancing at Syaoran.

"We'll tell you later," Makayla said, smiling and tossing a small jar at him. "First put that on the wound in your stomach, I got it from Yuuko. It should seal the wound long enough for you to get to Fai and fight whoever you have to with out opening your wounds."

The swordsman looked it over suspiciously.

"What'd it cost?" he asked, glancing at the author, who smiled.

"Nothing much," she replied easily. "But there's enough there to last you a few weeks, so I expect you not to let my sacrifice go to waste. Use it. _**Now**_."

The ninja looked it over one more time before opening it and scooping out a small amount, using a pair of scissors nearby to remove his bandages before slathering it over his wounds.

He hissed slightly as the ointment soaked through his stitches, but to his amazement he could feel new skin growing over the injury. He glanced at the author, surprised.

"What did it cost?" he repeated more forcefully. Makayla shifted feet nervously.

"Nothing much," she repeated. "Just a few videos…"

"Of what?" the ninja snapped. The twenty-one year old grinned at him.

"Of you," she replied. "Well, of my dad you, and Dad and me and Aya. Nothing big."

The swordsman narrowed his eyes. _Liar. Shit, they must be worth something if she traded them for this._

"Come on, Kurogane-sama, chop-chop," the writer said jokingly. "Seth, help me get his back so we can talk, okay?"

"'Kay!" the four year old agreed energetically, snatching the ointment from the ninja and helping his mom remove the bandages on his back.

"Well, Kurogane-sama, I can promise this," the twenty-one year old yawned, sitting down on the couch when the bandages had been successfully cut to pieces. "When this is all over I'll be getting a few weeks of sleep."

"Good," he snapped as Seth finished with the wound on his back and hurried off to get a shirt for him. "Because as soon as this is all over we're getting the hell outta here."

"Agreed," the writer yawned again. "Mokona, has Evron moved?"

The manjuu's ear's perked up for a moment before he shook his head.

"No," he said cheerfully. "Still in the same place!"

"Good," she yawned a third time. "Syaoran, go help Seth, please."

The archeologist nodded once before vanishing into the hallway after the four year old. Makayla closed her eyes.

"Mokona, is Fai okay?" Kaylee asked from the doorway to what the ninja assumed was the kitchen. The manjuu nodded.

"Yep yep! He's a little hurt, but nothing serious enough to threaten his life!" the creature replied, a little too quickly for Kurogane's comfort. He narrowed his eyes as Seth and Syaoran returned with a clean, dark red shirt and handed it to him. The swordsman growled at it.

"Why red?" he complained, pulling it on. Makayla's eyes popped open, and she grinned at him.

"Because, silly Kurogane-sama," she teased, leaping to her feet and poking his side, "it matches your eyes!"

_Oh dear god she's a respectful Fai!_

"Does your stomach hurt?" Syaoran asked quietly. The ninja turned toward him.

"No," he answered, stretching. "It doesn't. Let's hope it stays that way until we find that damn mage."

Syaoran nodded. The ninja glared at Mokona, who was bouncing happily on Makayla's head again.

"Sorry," he growled quickly, stalking after them. The ninja could feel Syaoran staring at him.

"Kurogane-sama!" The swordsman growled at Makayla as he approached the table. She glanced uneasily at Kaylee.

"How's the ointment doing for you?" she asked cheerfully. The swordsman's eyes narrowed as he glanced between the two of them.

"Where's Fai?" he snapped, leaning on the table to see what they were staring at. The psychiatrist hurriedly moved the documents from the wooden surface.

"He's… well…" the two exchanged another uneasy glance.

"Where is he?!" the swordsman repeated. Makayla smiled brightly.

"If we tell you you'll leave without Syaoran," she pointed out. The ninja growled.

"If you don't we risk that asshole hurting him even more than he already has!" the dark haired man snarled at them. "Now where the fuck is he?!"

Makayla's smile never wavered.

"They're on Gaudium(1) Avenue," she replied. "6293, right hand side."

The swordsman glanced at her sharply before grabbing Sohi and bolting out of the room.

He knew where Gaudium was. It was the one street in Raisu he'd specifically ordered the kids _**not**_ to go to, because he'd seen the state of its residents. They were… _Desperate_, he decided after a moment ._Desperate for a chance they didn't seek for themselves, but waited until someone brought it to them. Thieves… I remember how Fai laughed at me when we passed by the place. Said I was overreacting._

_Fai…_The ninja sprinted down the steps and out the front door, directing his footsteps toward his destination. _Fai, please…_

_Please be alright…_

--

Evron winced inwardly as he dug the broken blade of his knife into the magician's leg. He hated the sight of blood, thee taste of it, the smell of it. It reminded him of the red rose, Aya's favorite flower. He hated everything that reminded him of his sister.

But he hated that ass even more, for failing to save her.

_For __**refusing**__ to save her._

The teen smiled coldly at Fai. After twenty-four hours, this game was getting old. He wanted to finish this dumbass now and get out of this godforsaken neighborhood. _Gaudium… ironic, seeing as everyone here's miserable. This place is hell… but that ass will be going through so much more hell when he arrives._

As if on cue he heard the door upstairs slam against the all as someone rushed into the house. He could tell without seeing him that Kurogane had arrived.

The blonde smirked at Fai.

"Looks to me," he said softly, tracing the mage's chest with his knife, "that you've become of no use to me."

The wizard smiled at him, an infuriatingly confident smile. Growling, the teenager opened his knife. _Finally, I can get this over with._

The magician stared at the ragged blade and smiled.

--

"Fai!" Kurogane hollered, sprinting through the derelict old building. "Fai, where are you?!"

There was a soft chuckle from below him, and the ninja whirled around, hand resting on Sohi. Evron stood on the landing below, smirking at him.

"You're late, Kuro-bozu," he taunted. "Were you stuck in bed because of your booboos? Poor baby."

The swordsman growled.

"Bastard," he spat at him. "Where the hell's Fai?!"

The teen cocked his head to the side, still smiling.

"Fai?" he repeated tauntingly. "Oh, Fai! We were making red roses when you burst in so rudely. We were almost finished, too. I suppose we'll have to leave him alone while we play, hmmm?"

The ninja stared at the boy in horror.

"_**Where is he?!**_" he hissed. Evron chuckled again and strolled casually toward the wall, kicking up a trapdoor and vanishing below. Growling loudly, the ninja drew Sohi and followed him.

The only light in the cellar came from a small computer on the other side of the room. Not waiting for his eyes to adjust to the rapid decrease in light, he strained all of his other senses. Almost immediately he picked up the scent of blood, and he followed it, prying it didn't lead where he thought it lead.

He heard a soft moaning in front of him and, holding Sohi ready, he reached down to see whoever it was that lay there. His hand hit a mop of hair, soft, yet matted slightly in places. It smelled like…

"Fai."

"K-Kuro…rin?"

The lights flared to life, revealing, Fai lying on his back in a puddle of blood. _**His**_ blood. And on the floor nearby lay Evron's knife.

The ninja couldn't breathe as he moved closer to his boyfriend, searching desperately through his pockets for the ointment Makayla had given him. He found it under his fingers and yanked it out of his jeans, unscrewing the top as he ripped the mage's shirt off of him to reveal a large gash. Shaking uncontrollably, the swordsman scooped some of the thick paste onto his fingers and spreading it over the wound. _If there's a God out there, __**please**__ don't let him die._

"Look at you, Kuro-chan," Fai muttered weakly, looking up at the dark haired man. "You're all worried. But… I'm-"

He stopped as a hoarse cough interrupted him, spraying Kurogane with blood.

"I'm alive," he finished, even more weakly than before. "I kept my promise this time…" The swordsman pulled the magician closer and kissed him roughly.

"Stay with me, okay?" he muttered, panicked. "I'll get you out of here."

Fai nodded.

"I know."

Behind them, Evron snuck out of the cellar, leaving behind him trail of red roses.

**A/N; … I'm mean. And FYI, the movie Seth was talking about last chapter was **_**Star Wars; Revenge of the Sith**_**. For those of you who care.**

**(1) gaudium - Latin for joy, according to freedict. com.**

**Reviews? No matter how undeserving I may be?**


	23. Promises

_Disclaimer; When I own _Tsubasa_ I will be rich._

Promises

Kurogane sighed as he lay back on his pillows in his and Fai's hospital room. He glanced over at the sleeping mage, running his hand over Sohi for the dozenth time in as many minutes. The ninja still had no idea how he got out of that basement carrying the mage, just that when he got out Makayla and Syaoran were waiting for them, and they had tried - and failed miserably - to take Fai away from him. He yawned.

"Kuro-rin?"

The swordsman jumped.

"You're awake," he noted. The magician turned toward him and grinned.

"Kuro-chan seems to be disappointed," he teased, fake pouting. "I thought he loved me, too…"

The swordsman groaned as he sat up, disturbing his wounds in the process. The wonderful cream of usefulness had worn off an hour beforehand, leaving him wishing vaguely that time had stopped while they were in that godforsaken cellar. He hissed softly as he turned toward the magician.

"Watch it, mage," he snapped, really more for having no comeback than actually caring. "If I were disappointed I wouldn't have said anything, moron. I… I'm glad you're okay."

He mumbled the last part barely loudly enough for the wizard to hear him, face turning crimson.

"But you shouldn't be up yet!" he scolded. "They just sewed your chest back up, you should be asleep!"

The mage pouted again as he slipped out of bed and came over to the ninja.

"But it's cold!" he whined, slipping under the covers with his boyfriend and snuggling up close to him. "And you're so warm, Kuro-sweet."

The swordsman's flush deepened, settling back down and snaking one arm around his shoulders, hugging him to his chest.

"If you wanted some attention you could have just said so," he growled as the magician lay his head on the swordsman's chest, hands wrapped around his waist. "And you could have at least locked the door."

Fai chuckled softly, looking up at him.

"It's the middle of the night, Kuro-shy," he pointed out, kissing his chin. "Who would walk in on us?"

"You mean besides the nurses, surgeons, doctors, security staff, and Makayla?" the ninja chuckled dryly. "No one. But that's not what I was worried about."

The mage raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh?" he laughed. "Why not?"

The swordsman flushed as he remembered how he'd shouted at Syaoran when the wizard vanished.

"They'd all have to be blind to not know, with how I…" his voice trailed off, and he gently kissed his boyfriend's hair.

"Anyway, I was worried that Evron would get in," he muttered, tightening his grip on the smaller man. Fai laughed as he reached up and gently kissed the ninja.

"Don't worry," he said, settling back down. "I'll be fine."

The swordsman nodded determinedly.

"That's because that ass won't get you this time," he growled, clutching him even tighter to his chest. "If he comes this time, I swear he won't get you."

The magician chuckled again, closing his eyes.

"Thank you, Kuro-love," he muttered. The ninja kissed the top of his head again.

"At least we have the feather now," he muttered, staring at the ceiling. Fai nodded absentmindedly, stifling a yawn as his boyfriend looked down at him. "Get some sleep, moron."

The wizard nodded again.

Within minutes sleep had overcome them both.

--

Makayla sighed as she leaned back, shutting her eyes. Mokona was dozing nearby, snoring softly. A few feet away was Seth, curled up in a cat-like ball. The writer sighed again as she reached over and picked him up, setting him down in her lap. The four year old continued to sleep as an image of Yuuko appeared on the opposite wall. The author smiled at Mokona, who shifted slightly in his sleep.

"Hello, Kayla," the sorceress greeted, smiling gently. "How've you been?"

The twenty-one year old smiled in return.

"Fine, fine," she replied, running her hands through her son's hair. "I'm sorry for not getting to you sooner, but Kurogane-sama and Fai just fell asleep, and I didn't want them to wander out of their room and overhear me by mistake."

"Is what you're doing really that bad?" the witch asked. Makayla shook her head.

"No, but I already told Kurogane-sama how I traded those videos for that ointment," she said softly. "I don't want him to know what I'm about to do."

Yuuko nodded once.

"I won't tell them," she promised. "What is your request?"

Makayla gulped, smiling down at her son.

"The second feather," she muttered. "It has to be returned to Sakura-chan, right?"

"That's right," the sorceress confirmed. "What will you do?"

She looked up at the witch again.

"I…I know… that it's impossible to bring someone back to life," the writer started hesitantly. "But would it be possible… to trade my own life for his?"

Yuuko observed her for a moment.

"There will be a price for this, as well," she informed the author, who nodded. "Then I'll see what I can do. Hold on a minute."

Makayla sat in silence as the image faded, still running her hand through her son's hair. _I know this won't be cheap,_ she thought, kissing Seth's forehead softly, _but it'll be worth it._

Yuuko's image appeared again, carrying a small bottle.

"Fill this with your blood and have him carry it around," she instructed. "When the feather is removed, your blood will replace it, and he will survive."

"And I'll take his place," the writer said, mostly to herself. Yuuko nodded.

"As soon as the feather is removed and the glass shatters, you will need to add a small amount of the ointment you gave to Kurogane to the wound, only about two fingers worth," she continued. "This must be done _**the second**_ the feather is removed, or it'll all go to waste, understand?"

Makayla nodded.

"I know, Yuuko," she said sadly. "What do I owe you?"

The witch seemed to think about this for a moment.

"The videos you have of your family together," she said finally. "Do you have them with you?"

The writer nodded, pulling a large box of tapes from under her desk.

"I was intending to give them to Seth," she said in response to the questioning look on her friend's face. "Looks like he'll never get them, huh?"

Yuuko smiled sadly.

"He'll remember his grandparents well enough without them," she reassured her. "And Fye-san will still be there for him."

Makayla chuckled dryly.

"Thanks, Yuuko," she muttered, catching the jar as it flew through Mokona's mouth and the videos were sucked in. The witch nodded once more before the image vanished. The writer absent mindedly ruffled Seth's hair.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to him. "Don't hate me, okay?"

She glanced out the window. It was nearly dawn. The author gently placed the four year old on the couch and stretched, watching the sun rise. Sighing, she grabbed a pair of scissors nearby and opened the jar, placing it on her desk. Glancing at the sleeping boy again, she expertly slit her wrist, catching the blood that flowed forth in the glass container. As soon as it was full she replaced the lid and stuck her wrist in her mouth as she pulled out a bandage and began to wrap it.

"Makayla-san?" The writer turned to face Sakura, smiling softly.

"No titles, Sakura-chan," she reminded gently. "It's just Makayla."

The princess flushed and was about to respond when she saw the bandage wrapped messily around her wrist.

"What happened?!" she cried, rushing forward and taking the twenty-one year old's hand and pulling the bandage off. "Did you do this? Why?"

Makayla grinned at her as she pulled her hand loose.

"It was a promise," she said vaguely, beginning to rewrap the injury. Sakura frowned.

"Why would you promise someone something like that?"

The writer laughed.

"You'll find out later," she replied, frowning as she messed the bandage up again. "Can you help me with this, please?"

Wordlessly the princess took her wrist and wrapped the bandage tightly.

"Thanks," Makayla chuckled. "It's been a while since I was wrapping my own wrist."

Sakura looked alarmed and opened her mouth to say something, but the writer cut her off.

"Sakura-chan, I need you to promise me something," she said, sitting down. The princess frowned.

"What is it?" she asked The twenty-one year old sighed.

"When you leave this world, take Seth with you," she ordered, locking eyes with the younger girl. "I paid the price years ago, waiting for you to show up. And he can't stay here after you go, Dad agrees. So take him with you."

The princess opened her mouth to object, but the sad certainty on the writer's face stopped her.

"Alright," she agreed. "I promise."

Makayla smiled at her as she stood and stretched again.

"Then there's one thing we have to do before you leave," she muttered to herself. Sakura glanced up at her.

"What is it?" she asked brightly. Makayla frowned.

"Kill Evron."

**A/N; Dun dun du- wait. Yay? I dunno. Take your pick.**

**Reviews? Pretty please with strawberries, fudge sauce, vanilla and mint ice cream and Seth on top?**


	24. Fights And Articles

Disclaimer; I don't own _Tsubasa__. But I do own Seth, Makayla, Evron, Kaylee, and a slice of mushroom and pepperoni pizza._

Fights And Articles

Kurogane narrowed his eyes. He distinctly remembered falling asleep holding Fai, yet when he woke up the magician was gone, and he could hear rain pounding against their wall. Grabbing a jacket, the ninja slipped out of his bed and grabbed the ointment Yuuko had sent, spreading a small amount over his wounds before changing into his civilian clothes and a jacket, grabbing Sohi from where the sword leaned against the wall and strapping it to his waist. He glanced up at the locked window. There was nothing visible beyond the vast wall of rain.

_Dammit, if he went out there I'll kill him._

The swordsman sighed as he headed for the cafeteria, scanning the rooms he passed as he did so. They were all completely devoid of the living thing he was currently searching for.

"Kuro-pyon?"

The ninja whirled around to face Fai, hands behind his back who and a mischievous gleam in his eye as he came closer.

"Where the hell were you?" he snapped. The mage smiled innocently.

"I woke up early, and Seth came by, so we went exploring through the hospital," he explained. "And then we ran into Makayla and Seth had to go, so I headed back here."

The ninja narrowed his eyes suspiciously, walking closer to the magician.

"What's behind your back?" he asked, not completely sure he wanted to know. The wizard grinned.

"I'll show you when we get back to our room," he promised, walking forward and removing one hand from behind his back to grip the swordsman's. "C'mon!"

Kurogane sighed as he was pushed forward by his boyfriend, who was still clutching his prize behind his back. Something told him it was nothing good.

Fai was practically sweating excitement when they reached their room, shutting the door quickly and locking it. Kurogane raised an eyebrow at him as he pulled a small case from behind him and opened it to reveal… a computer. Granted, it was rather interesting - ebony with a red dragon designing the top. But he failed to see what was so great about it.

"What the hell?" he snapped, taking a seat on the mage's bed. "You could've shown it to me in the hall!"

Fai grinned mischievously.

"Actually," he replied, sitting down on his bed and turning the machine on, "I couldn't. That was the ward Kayla usually volunteers in, so they would have recognized it immediately."

The ninja inhaled sharply, trying to get his temper under control. He failed miserably.

"_**You stole Makayla's computer?!**_" he hissed. "_**Why the hell would you do that?!**_"

Fai smiled sheepishly.

"Well, me and Seth were in her office," he started, "and he managed to get it up and running, so I thought I'd see what she had on her."

The swordsman growled.

"That doesn't sound like you," he commented, suspicious. "What happened?"

The magician's smile faltered for a moment before it returned full force.

"Nothing!" he lied, turning back to the computer and squinting. "Say, Kuro-tan, can you read this?"

The swordsman growled again as he turned the wizard around.

"What happened?" he repeated, looking his boyfriend over. The mage kept smiling.

"Nothing," the mage repeated. "I just wanted to see what her life was like."

Kurogane growled as he turned the smaller man around to look him in the eye.

"What. Happened?" the ninja growled a third time. Fai was silent for a moment before grinning broadly.

"I suppose I can't fool you, can I, Kuro-muu?" he asked, a tone of bitterness in his voice. The swordsman raised an eyebrow.

"You thought you could?" he returned, releasing the magician. The wizard sighed.

"No," he replied, leaning against the ninja. "But can we wait until after I see what she has before I answer you?"

The swordsman growled as the magician glanced up at him, eyes open as wide as he could get them.

"Fine," he snapped. "But hurry up, dammit."

Fai flashed him a smile before turning back to the screen and bending forward to try and make the writing out.

"So, can you read this or not?" he asked cheerfully. The ninja rolled his eyes as he leaned toward the computer. He inhaled sharply at the language it was written in.

"I can read it," he muttered. Fai glanced at him.

"Well what's it say?" he questioned eagerly. Kurogane groaned as he scanned the screen once, which he judged to be a page out of some newspaper. His eyes widened at what it said.

"This is…" he muttered, reading the article again. "Holy shit."

The magician glanced at him again.

"What's it say?" he repeated. The ninja glanced at him again before turning back to the document.

"'_**On Monday, April 14**__**th**__**,**__**a car bomb exploded, destroying three nearby vehicles, including a public bus bound for Raisu Regional Mall**_,'" he read slowly. "'_**The explosion left four grievously injured and seven dead, including esteemed archeologist Syaoran Li, and his wife, Sakura Kinomoto, as well as their son, Jason. At the moment, nineteen year old Makayla Fluorite and her father, Fye, are being held at Raisu National Hospital with Tomoyo and Evron Daidoji for third- and fourth-degree burns. It is reported that Evron Daidoji is in critical condition with several puncture wounds to the lungs and heart, as well as severe internal bleeding.**_'"

Fai stared at him a moment.

"Is there anything else?" he asked, a note of confusion in his voice. "Why would she hide that?"

"What happened?" the ninja asked, ignoring his question. His boyfriend grinned up at him.

"I heard Sakura-chan talking to Seth earlier," he explained, leaning back against the larger man. "She said he'd be coming with us when we left. I just wanted to know why."

The swordsman growled softly.

"What _**really**_ happened?" he snapped. The magician tensed slightly, leaning forward to study the screen again. "Mage! What the hell happened?"

"Why's it matter?" he returned, not turning to look at him. The ninja growled again.

"It _**matters**_ because I'm fucking _**sick**_ of you hiding shit from me," he growled. "It doesn't help anything, dumbass."

"It doesn't help anything if I tell you, either," the mage returned. The dark haired man climbed to his feet, heading for the door.

"When your done being an ass," he snapped, opening the door, "I'll be training with the kid."

Fai stared after him.

--

"Kurogane-san, you almost hit Seth!" Syaoran cried, panic filling his voice. Kurogane growled as he yanked Sohi from the tree trunk he'd gotten it stuck in.

"Right," he muttered, pulling the trembling four year old off the floor. "Sorry."

The boy grinned, still shaking.

"That was pretty cool!" he exclaimed, latching onto the swordsman's leg. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

The ninja rolled his eyes.

"I can't," he snapped. "You aren't exactly coming when we leave."

The child's eyes widened and filled with tears.

"I'm not?!" he cried. "But Miss Sakura said my mommy said I can go with you if I wanted to go and I wanna go!"

Syaoran frowned.

"Why would Makayla-san-" he started.

"Don't use titles, Syaoran-kun," the writer's voice came from behind them. The swordsman turned and glared at her.

"What the fuck do you want?" he snapped, sheathing his sword. Makayla grinned at him.

"Cranky, aren't we?" she commented. "Poor Kuro-daddy, did you get in a fight with Fai?"

"My _**name**_," he snarled, "is _**Kurogane**_. And that's none of your damn buisness."

"Why would you let Seth come with us?" Syaoran cut the author off before she could respond. "Wouldn't you miss him?"

The writer didn't answer, her phone choosing that moment to start ringing. Inhaling sharply, she answered it. Kurogane growled as she smiled at them and move a short distance away, turning toward the archeologist.

"You're going easy on me," he snapped. "Don't."

The kid frowned.

"But you're injured," he pointed out. The swordsman glared at him.

"I'm fairly positive that's why the moron gave me that stupid ointment," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now _**stop holding back**_. I can take care of myself, believe it or not."

The teen nodded once, raising his blade in an defensive position. The ninja sighed as he drew Sohi again and struck quickly. The archeologist parried the blow, twirling his blade and striking out toward the swordsman's right leg, which was dodged easily.

"I said," he growled, burying Sohi's hilt into the boy's side, "to stop holding back."

The archeologist gasped as the hilt bit into his chest, knocking the wind out of him. Seth cried out in shock as the teen flew into him, knocking them both into the tree Sohi had been stuck in. There was a loud crack as they connected with the trunk.

"Shit," the ninja muttered, sheathing his blade and pulling Syaoran off of Seth. "Are you alright, kid?"

The four year old nodded, eyes filled with tears.

"I'm… I'm okay," he whimpered, struggling to push himself off the floor. He whimpered again as he gave the attempt up, collapsing back onto the tree trunk. Annoyed, the swordsman pulled him up, running one hand down his arm. Seth inhaled sharply, tears streaming down his face.

"Seth!" Makayla cried, hurrying toward them. "Are you okay?!"

"His arm's broken, moron," Kurogane snapped, swatting her hand away as she went to check it. "Just calm down, I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Kuro-bozu's rather cranky today, isn't he?"

The ninja growled as he turned to face Evron, carefully handing Seth to Syaoran to avoid jarring his arm in the process.

"What the hell do you want?" he snapped, hand resting on Sohi's hilt. "You aren't getting anywhere near Fai again."

The blonde laughed.

"What makes you think I want anything to do with Fai?" he asked, smiling coldly. "I'm done with him, I think. After all, you're so much more interesting."

"Kurogane-sama."

The ninja tensed slightly when Makayla's voice came from directly beside him, barely audible.

"Keep him talking until you get a chance to attack," she ordered, still barely audible. "Then when the chance arises, I need you to stab him directly through the heart, understood?"

"Plotting something again, Kayla?" Evron snapped at her, still smiling. "Planning to kill the brother you did so much to save?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" the swordsman snapped, drawing the blonde's attention. Evron grinned, eyes narrowing in amusement.

"You mean she hasn't told you?" he asked, the same amusement obvious in his voice. "Surely you saw the news article on the accident?"

The ninja's blood ran cold.

"What are you talking about?" he repeated, hand resting on Sohi's hilt. The teen laughed again.

"Surely you read the article," he insisted, smiling. "I saw you reading it with Fai earlier. You don't honestly think I would have survived those injuries, did you? I was fifteen, dumbass!"

"Then how'd you survive, asshole?!" Kurogane hissed. Evron chuckled.

"Makayla found a feather," he said simply. "She found a feather and gave it to her precious baby brother so he'd survive."

The ninja tensed, tightening his grip on his sword's hilt.

"What the fuck-"

"Am I talking about?" the blonde finished for him. "She wants you to kill me, doesn't she. The target would be my heart, correct? Do you know why?"

The swordsman glanced at Makayla, who nodded once, ducking behind her brother and pinning his arms to his back. Kurogane grinned as he drew Sohi, pointing it at the boy's heart. He grinned in response.

"You don't care, do you?" he chuckled. "Well, if you think you can do it, go ahead. I won't even use the feather's power to stop you."

The ninja grinned even wider.

"Good to know," he accepted, thrusting the blade at the blonde's heart. Evron grinned as he twisted around, freeing himself from Makayla's grip and getting both of them out of harm's way. The swordsman grinned some more as he swung the blade toward him, nicking the blonde's cheek as he dodged out of the way, leaping over Sohi's sheath as the ninja swung it toward his knees, narrowly missing him. Evron chuckled, grabbing the blade as the swordsman struck again, pulling him in close.

"Not much difference from last time, is there?" he asked conversationally, releasing the blade and leaping back as the ninja flicked the sword upward, slicing his chin open. "I mean, except for the fact I'm not being stabbed through the leg… and I'm not cheating, either. Sad."

The ninja grinned, dropping the blade and elbowing the teen in the ribs as he went to attack.

"Still confident, kid?" he laughed, swinging Sohi around and slicing into his leg as he jumped backwards in an attempt to escape. He hissed in pain as the blood seeped from the wound, swiping some of the warm red liquid from his leg and licking it off his fingers. Kurogane growled as he swung the blade around and pointed it at his heart. Makayla suddenly appeared behind him, pinning his arms to his back once again.

"I don't need your help," the swordsman snapped. The author rolled her eyes.

"I don't care," she snapped, burying her knee into Evron's back. "Just… get it over with already."

The swordsman rolled his eyes as he tightened his grip on the hilt and thrust the blade a him. There was the sickening sound of steel piercing flesh.

And then Evron's shocked voice came from behind the barrier that had thrown itself in front of him.

"Mom…?"

**A/N; It's almost midnight, I spent three nights on my sister's floor, which was too hard, and one night in a bed that was too soft. I had writer's block for three days. I'm watching **_**Bones**_** while I type this up. If this chapter sucks, you can pick any of these three excuses. I worked hard on it!**

**Reviews are very much appreciated, as they help cure writer's block. Weird, huh?**


	25. A Mother's Sacrifice

_Disclaimer; I'm afraid I still don't own _Tsubasa_. Sadly._

A Mother's Sacrifice

"Daidoji-san!"

Kurogane stared at the woman impaled on his blade in horror. It was obviously an older version of Tomoyo - they had the same ebony hair, the same rounded cheeks, the same pointed chin, and the same violet, kind eyes. The ninja went to pull the blade from her when small hands enclosed over his own.

"Kurogane-sama, if you pull the blade out he blood will flow more rapidly," Makayla's soft voice came from behind him. "Where's the ointment from Yuuko?"

The ninja removed his right hand from Sohi's hilt, pulling the ointment from his pocket.

"Thanks," the author muttered, taking the jar and moving from behind him. "Don't worry, Kurogane-sama, she'll be fine."

The swordsman didn't reply, replacing his hand on the hilt again. Makayla opened the jar as she moved behind the woman, tearing the back of her shirt and glancing toward the ninja.

"Pull it out slowly," she instructed. Kurogane glanced at her once before complying, withdrawing the blade cautiously. The twenty-one year old scooped some of the cream from its container and spreading it over the exit wound.

"Kuro…gane?"

The ninja froze at the voice.

"Daidoji-san, stop talking until I'm done," Makayla snapped, moving in front of her as the swordsman successfully removed the blade. The swordsman stared at Tomoyo, mouth uncomfortably dry.

"Hey, Kurogane-sama, think fast!"

The swordsman glanced at her, only to be met with a handful of dirt.

"What the hell?!" he snapped, rubbing his eyes furiously. The sound of tearing fabric stopped him instantly.

"What are you doing here, Daidoji-san?" the writer's voice asked gently. "I thought you were confined to the fourth floor until tomorrow."

There was a soft chuckle.

"Fye-san let me wander around the grounds today," Tomoyo's soft voice sounded. "I doubt he expected this."

"I doubt it, too. But with Evron -"

"Stay away from her."

The ninja resumed his furious rubbing of his eyes at the sound of Evron's voice. He heard the sound of someone climbing to their feet, followed swiftly by a loud crack. The swordsman jumped back, the whoosh of air alerting him to the fact someone had tried to kick him.

"Evron!" Tomoyo's voice came from in front of him, sounding startled. "What-"

She was cut off by a harsh cough. The swordsman successfully removed the dirt from his eyes in time to dodge another kick from Evron and draw Sohi in one swift movement, thinly slicing his torso as the teen dodged back.

"Stop!" Tomoyo cried, struggling to her fee and moving in between them. The swordsman swore as he twisted to avoid slicing the woman in half, instead hitting a rosebush nearby.

"Daidoji-san!" Makayla snapped, grabbing her arm. "What are you doing?"

The ebony haired woman turned toward her as Kurogane glared a Evron over her shoulder.

"He's my son," she replied, smiling sadly. "And you're trying to kill him."

The ninja glanced at them as Makayla chuckled.

"He won't die."

--

"Seth!"

The four year old whimpered as Syaoran set him down, disappearing as Fai rushed toward him.

"Seth, what happened?" he asked frantically, crouching down in front of the boy and running his hand down his arm. Pain shot through the him, and Seth whimpered and bit down on his lip to avoid crying.

"I'm fine," he whispered, not looking at him. "I'm fine."

"You aren't fine," the wizard snapped. "What happened to your arm?!"

The four year old flinched away as the magician reached his hand out gain, letting out an involuntary sob as he did so.

"I'm _**fine**_," he insisted, rubbing his eyes furiously. "_**Fine**_!"

The mage sighed.

"What happened, Seth?" he asked gently, dropping his arm. "Who did this?"

The boy looked down at the floor.

"It was an accident," he muttered. "Kurogane and Mr. Syaoran were training and Mr. Syaoran fell backward and hit me and we hit a really big tree and-"

"You were with Kuro and Syaoran-kun when they were training?" Fai interrupted. "Why?"

Seth hung his head even further.

"I wanted to ask Kurogane if he'd train me to use a sword," he replied quietly. "Because Miss Sakura told me I'd be going with you when you left, and Mommy said you get in lotsa fights and that I had to stay outta the way when you started fighting, but I didn't wanna be in the way and I _**really**_ wanna learn how to fight!"

The mage stood suddenly, grabbing Seth's hand. The four year old glanced up at him, startled, as the wizard started pulling him back the way he'd come. His arm screamed in protest as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Fai! Stop, stop you're hurting me!"

The magician stopped immediately, turning to face the four year old. He grinned broadly.

"I'm sorry, Seth," he apologized, crouching down in front of him again. "I'm gonna go talk to Kuro-sama. Would you like to come?"

The boy thought about it for a moment before grinning and nodding, shaking his broken right arm in the process. He bit back a cry of pain.

"Then let's go get that arm set, first, okay?" the magician suggested, grinning. Seth nodded again, more gently this time.

"Yeah," he agreed softly, gulping back tears. The two of them turned and headed back toward the hospital. The four year old glanced back once.

_I hope Uncle Evron doesn't hurt Kurogane._

--

"Not killing him defeats the purpose of killing him, doesn't it?" Kurogane pointed out.

Makayla didn't turn toward the swordsman, locking eyes with Tomoyo.

"Please, Daidoji-san," she pleaded. "Evron'll be fine. We won't kill him, I promise."

The woman gazed at the twenty-one year old for moment before moving away from the fighters. The author nodded once toward the ninja, holding tightly onto the older woman. The ninja grinned as he stuck Evron again, slicing through the boy's upper arm as he leapt sideways to avoid the blow.

_This ass tortured Fai. And he did it to screw with __**me**__._

"You're much better than I thought, Kuro-bozu," Evron commented, dodging a sweep to his ankles. "My deltoid muscle hurts like hell - oh, that's this muscle, by the way."

He ducked under the swordsman blade and lightly tapped his arm, just below his shoulder. His efforts were rewarded by a sharp blow to the ribs from Sohi's sheath, followed by the blade being buried in his forearm.

"So what muscle's this, genius?" the ninja snapped, twisting the sword into a horizontal position, grinning at the blonde's hiss of pain. "Hurts, doesn't it?"

The teen ignored him, letting out a cry of pain as the ninja dragged Sohi up to his elbow, blood pouring from the wound as the flat end of the blade crushed against his elbow. The ninja chuckled as he saw tears gather in the teenager's eyes.

"Stop!"

The swordsman turned toward Tomoyo as she grabbed on to his arm, tears filling her own eyes.

"Please stop," she whispered. "Please."

"Are you enjoying this, Kuro-bozu?" Evron said suddenly, a tone of amusement in his voice. "Are you enjoying torturing the person who hurt your precious little boyfriend?"

The ninja tightened his grip on Sohi, shaking Tomoyo off of him and withdrawing the blade, anger flowing through him unchecked.

"I'm not you," he hissed. "I don't enjoy torturing idiots."

"Then why'd you laugh?"

The ninja froze. He'd… laughed? When?

"Kurogane-sama," Makayla's voice came from his right. The swordsman glanced down at her. The writer sighed and whispered so Tomoyo couldn't hear her, "Just get it over with."

The swordsman nodded, turning back to the teenager, who was cradling his arm, blood pouring from his wound. Evron gazed up at him, a brief flash of fear passing across his face.

_He knows this is the end._

The teenager set his face in an expression of grim determination. The swordsman scowled at him.

"No smart ass comments?" the ninja snapped, pointing Sohi at his heart. The blonde grinned at him.

"You honestly think you'll get me this easily?" he laughed. "Try again, Kuro-bozu."

The ninja dodged back as he kicked out, leaping backwards in one fluid motion. Grinning, the swordsman thrust Sohi toward the teenager, nicking his chin as he leaned backward. The blonde hissed sharply as he hit his arm against the rose bush Sohi had previously been entangled in. Seizing the opportunity, the swordsman plunged the blade into his heart.

It missed.

"_**TOMOYO-HIME!**_"

**A/N; Great, another chapter that ends with Tomoyo getting stabbed. That's **_**so**_** not fair to her. I'm such a meanie to Kurogane-sama.**

**Reviews are much appreciated.**


	26. The Delinquent’s Decision

_Disclaimer; I… I don't actually hafta say it anymore, do?_

The Delinquent's Decision

Kurogane froze. _I… no… __**No**__!!_

He loosened his grip on Sohi, horrified.

"Kuro-sama?" The swordsman glanced over his shoulder at Fai, loosening his grip on the sword further as he turned back to Tomoyo. The blade had pierced her throat - she was dead almost instantly. The ninja's knees collapsed under him as her body fell backwards, landing on her son.

"M-mom?" the teen muttered, eyes wide with horror. A vague sense of sympathy flowed through the swordsman as he watched the teenager clutched at his mother's body, but it was quickly drowned in the realization of what he'd done.

_Oh god. __**I did this**__. She's… I… __**I did this**__!_

"Kuro-rin," Fai's soft voice was directly behind him. The swordsman glanced at him again.

"I… I did this," he muttered. "Tomoyo-hime… she's…"

"Kuro-chan," the magician whispered comfortingly, wrapping his arms around the ninja, burying his face into the larger man's back. "Kuro-mii, it wasn't your fault."

"It… it _**was**_ my fault," the swordsman growled. "I… I killed her… _**I**_ killed her!"

"No, Kuro-min," the wizard contradicted. "You didn't kill her. I saw you. You were fighting Evron, remember?"

"She jumped in front of him," the swordsman stared at his hands, looking at the blood that covered them. _**Tomoyo's**__ blood…_

"Kuro-love, you didn't mean to," Fai muttered, hugging him tighter. Kurogane tensed, growling.

"She was trying to protect her son," he hissed. "She just wanted to protect her son, and… and I… I killed her for it."

"Kurogane-sama," Makayla was there now, pulling him to his feet. "It wasn't your fault."

The ninja whirled around to face her, growling loudly.

"_**Wasn't my fault?!**_" he shouted at her. "All of this was my fault! Because I was so damn focused on trying to kill _**your**_ brother I didn't even notice she was there! _**Everything was my fault!!**_"

"Kuro-pyon," Fai whispered, attaching himself to thee ninja's torso again. "It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have predicted this."

The ninja's body shook violently.

"Yes I could have," he growled. "I _**should**_ have! I'd have done the same thing if it were my kid!"

"It wasn't your fault," the magician repeated. "_**It wasn't your fault**_."

"Yes, it was," the swordsman muttered, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and burying his head in the wizard's hair. "It was my fault."

"I know how you feel, Kuro-woof." the wizard muttered. The swordsman pulled away from him.

"No you don't," he snarled. The mage smiled sadly up at him.

"You feel helpless, and angry," he said softly. "As if everything that happened was your fault, like you could have prevented it. And you feel guilty, because not only did she die to protect someone you were trying to kill, but because they didn't have nearly enough time together. Because you didn't want to do anything to hurt them, and you feel as if you did it anyway. Because if you hadn't been here none of this would have happened."

The swordsman stared at him for a moment, scalding tears filling his eyes as he pulled his boyfriend close.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

The mage didn't answer, not even when the tears spilled over the edges of the swordsman's eyes and landed in his hair.

--

"Are you okay?"

The swordsman glanced up at Makayla, nodding once before returning to staring at the floor.

"Evron's still with Daidoji-san," the writer continued. "He'll be there for a while, I think. He's taking the whole 'she didn't abandon me and now she'd dead because she wanted to protect me' shock pretty well, considering his mental condition."

"Right."

"We can remove the feather at any time, as long as he stays in the hospital."

"Whatever."

"We need to do it now."

"Uh-huh."

"Fai was saying he thought it would be best to get it over with as soon as possible."

"Sure."

"Seth and I are gonna pick up Dad and visit my father's grave later."

"Okay."

"Wanna come?"

"Uh-huh."

"After we get the feather from Evron."

"Whatever."

"I'm going to kill myself so he survives."

"What?" the ninja looked up at her, shock registering on his features. The author grinned.

"Making sure you were paying attention," she laughed. "Let's go."

"Go where?"

The writer's brow furrowed.

"You weren't listening!" she complained. "Me and Fai are gonna go get the feather Evron still has so you can go!"

The swordsman growled, fury flowing through him.

"You're going to go into Tomoyo-hime's room where her dead body lay," he said slowly, tone cold, "look her son in the eye, and then kill him, all on the same day as her death."

The twenty-one year old seemed to think about this for a moment.

"Yep," she confirmed. "That sounds about right."

"Why?"

"Because he has Sakura-chan's feather."

"That's not a reason, dammit!" he snapped, leaping to his feet. "She just died! That ass might be a sick, twisted, moronic little fucker, but he's still just a kid! Imagine how you felt when your father died! That's what he's going through right now!"

"Which is why we should get this over with now, when he might be willing to cooperate!" she replied. "This way you don't have your strength decreased, Sakura gets her feather, and I-"

She stopped, taking a deep breath.

"Look, just… don't argue with me, okay?" she pleaded. "You can still stay for her funeral, I swear, but we have to get this over with. Look, we'll just ask him, alright?"

"You'll just ask me what?"

Kurogane growled at Evron over the writer's shoulder. He looked like hell, the ninja had to admit. His eyes were red, and he looked as if he'd collapse at any moment.

"You want to know if I'll let you have the feather replacing my heart and half my right lung," he answered his own question, smiling. "I can answer you quite easily, actually."

The swordsman growled.

"And what exactly would the crazy murderous asshole choose?" he snapped. The teen glared at him, all pretense of amusement gone from his voice and behavior. _Shit, this kid's a great actor. Even better than Fai._

"You aren't him," he said suddenly. The swordsman raised his eyebrow.

"I'm not who?" the swordsman asked, eyes narrowing. "If you mean Makayla's father, you're right. Finally realized it, huh? What tipped you off?"

"You cried," the teen shot at him. "And you apologized. Two things _**he**_ never swallowed his pride enough to do. At least… not in front of others."

"What the hell's that mean?! I'm a good guy!" the swordsman snapped. The blonde growled.

"It doesn't matter," he snarled. "You need your dumbass feather, right?"

Without warning, the blonde tripped a passing nurse carrying a tray of surgical instrument, grabbing a scalpel and fingering it.

"How long will it take to remove?" he interrogated, turning his attention to his sister. "Only a few seconds, correct?"

The writer nodded once. Evron grinned unevenly.

"Then here's your answer," he chuckled. "Don't save me this time, okay?"

The ninja inhaled sharply as the boy grinned at him in turn.

"Later, dude," he joked, raising the scalpel until it parallel with his heart.

"Wait!"

The blonde grinned at his sister again.

"Buh-bye."

He plunged the knife into his heart.

**A/N; See… Evron's not that bad a guy, really. Just really weird. And psychotic. He sure underwent quite a change in personality, didn't he?**

**Reviews, pretty pretty please?**


	27. Final Moments

_Disclaimer; Nope. Don't own them._

Last Moments

Makayla reacted instantly, darting forward and removing the scalpel from the teen's chest. Glancing at Kurogane, who was already directly behind her, the writer pulled the bottle she'd gotten from Yuuko and smashed it in her hand, allowing her blood to flow into the blonde's wound before pulling out the jar of ointment and popping it open. She glanced at the ninja again before scooping a small amount of the cream out with one hand and slicing her brother's chest open with the other.

"What the hell are you doing?" the ninja snapped. Makayla grinned up at him.

"Look, the feather," she replied, pointing at the pulsing object. Shock registered on the swordsman's face for a moment before he nodded quickly, reaching over her shoulder and grasping it.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" the swordsman asked, hesitating. The author nodded.

"Hurry or he'll bleed to death," she warned. The ninja glanced at her again before pulling the feather out.

The writer reacted instantly. The second the feather was out she wiped the ointment on the exposed organs, gasping softly. The swordsman glanced at her again.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked, reaching over and pressing his hand against her heart. The author glanced down, surprised to see she was bleeding. Evron stirred slightly, and pain shot through the twenty-one year old. _Wow. Nice method, Yuuko._

"Hey!"

The girl grinned up at him again.

"It appears," she muttered, "as if I'm here until he's awake."

The dark haired man narrowed his eyes.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" he snapped. She chuckled as pain shot through her again.

"You will take Seth with you, right?" she asked, turning her attention back to Evron. She was startled to see his wounds were completely healed over.

"What the hell are you talking about? Mage!"

The author coughed once, vaguely aware of someone arguing close by. Blood poured from her mouth and chest, and her vision began to fade.

"Mommy!" Seth's voice broke through the haze surrounding her. She forced her vision to clear and smiled at her son.

"Seth, Mommy has to go, okay?" she tried to explain. "But Kurogane-sama and Fai will take care of you, alright?"

"No! Mommy, you promised not to leave me!"

The writer smiled softly.

"I have to go, Seth," she muttered, vision beginning to fade again. ":I hafta go save your uncle… because he's a good man deep down."

"Mommy?" Seth's voice was faint as white engulfed the twenty-one year old. She found herself standing in the middle of the white, searching, scanning. A few feet to her right, she spotted a familiar figure lying on what she assumed was the ground.

"Evron!"

The figure stirred.

"Evron, wake up!"

Makayla found herself beside her brother, shaking him violently. Slowly his eyes opened.

"Kayla?" he murmured, sitting up. "Hey… aren't I dead?"

"Not yet," the writer said, shaking her head. "And I'm not letting you die, either."

"But… the feather…" he muttered. The author stared at him a moment before placing one hand over his heart.

"Evron, you can have my heart, and my lung. But you have to go back."

"Why? What about Seth?"

"He's going with Kurogane-sama and Fai. Go back, okay? And apologize."

The teen stared at her a moment before shaking his head violently.

"No," he snapped. "I won't do it."

The writer chuckled, catching sight of a strange beaded door behind him.

"You have no choice," she replied, flipping onto her hands and kicking him through the door. There were shouts of surprise, and the author, unable to resist, peeked through. Kurogane, Fai, Seth and Sakura were gathered around her and Evron's bodies, the teen stirring slightly. She smiled.

"Goodbye."

Waving to her friends, she turned her back on them and walked farther into the unending white.

--

Kurogane glanced from Evron, who was beginning to sit up, to Makayla's body, which he just realized he was clutching to his chest. He stared at her for a moment before glancing up at Seth, who was glaring at his uncle.

"This is your fault!" he shouted accusingly at the blonde. "All of it's your fault!"

The teen looked toward his sister's body, a flicker of grief passing through his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, hanging his head. "I'm so sorry."

"Ass!" the four year old hollered at him, throwing himself at the teenager and beating against his chest with his small fists. "Give her back!"

"I'm sorry," the boy repeated, not even trying to stop the child as he wrapped his fingers around the blonde's throat.

"Seth," the ninja called softly remembering what Tomoyo had done when his mother had died. The four year old glanced at him. "Your mom needs her rest, right?"

The boy glanced down at his mother's body before returning his gaze to the swordsman and releasing his uncle, arms falling to his sides as he collapsed onto the floor, tears streaming down his face.

"Yeah," he agreed softly. "She's been working really hard. She deserves some sleep."

The swordsman pulled the child into a tight hug.

"I know how it feels," he muttered, looking at Fai. "I know exactly how you feel."

The four year old sobbed, burying his head in the swordsman's shirt. The others turned away respectfully as the ninja glared at them. _This is a semi-private moment, and I'd like to keep it that way, dammit._

"Kurogane?" Seth said suddenly. The swordsman glanced down at him.

"What?" he snapped, embarrassed. The boy hugged him.

"Thank you."

**A/N; Sap. Sap sap sap sap sap and OOCness. Always the OOCness. Ah, well. A short chapter. And yes, I know Evron's personality took a complete 180 this chapter. I did it on purpose.**

**Reviews? Pwetty pwetty pwease?**

**OMG!! SETH USED A SWEAR WORD! He's been spending too much time with Kurogane-sama.**


	28. The Ninja's Gift

_Disclaimer; Still don't own it._

The Ninja's Gift

Seth squirmed as Kurogane tried to finish getting him dressed. He had no clue how he'd gotten stuck with taking care of the kid in the first place. Everything for the past two weeks was a huge blur to him. All the ninja could really remember agreeing to was that they'd all stay until after Makayla and Tomoyo's funerals, and that he'd wait until his injuries were completely healed before leaving his room again.

So finally his and Fai's wounds ere deemed healed, and the funerals were planned out, and somewhere in the chaos he'd started taking care of the four year old - starting with a course on the right age in which to use cuss words - and now he was helping him dress for Tomoyo's funeral, which started in about thirty minutes, according to the clock on the wall.

"Alright squirt, did Evron tell you how this works?" he asked, fixing his own suit. The boy nodded, his usual grin gone.

"Yep," he replied. "I'm supposed to take one of the flowers and put it on each casket while the priest dude reads his speech thing."

"Good," the swordsman growled. "One less thing for me to ask about. Do you have to use the bathroom? Need anything to eat? Drink?"

"Aw, Kuro-sama's a real daddy now!"

The ninja growled as he reached over and adjusted Seth's jacket.

"Are you planning on helping me or not?" he snapped, looking the child over one last time before turning to his boyfriend. His breath caught in his throat.

The magician was wearing a dark blue suit with golden-rod cuffs and collar. The suit had a V-neck, the shirt underneath being light blue. It looked… beautiful.

"I take it you approve?" Fai broke through his thoughts. The swordsman flushed slightly, turning back to the four year old.

"Right, then," he muttered, crouching down and fixing his shirt again. "Your uncle says we'll be getting something to eat after Makayla's… but that won't be for a while, so be sure to eat something now, and be back here in twenty minutes. Got it?"

Seth nodded.

"Yeah," he muttered. "Eat something, get back in twenty minutes for Miss Tomoyo's funeral. I got it."

The ninja swallowed slightly and resisted the urge to shout at the boy to stop acting like _**he**_ was the one who'd died instead of his mother.

"Right. See you in a few minutes."

The four year old didn't look at them as he turned to leave, staring at the floor. Kurogane sighed.

"Don't worry, Kuro-love," Fai consoled, jumping on his back. "With a daddy like you, he'll be feeling better in no time."

"I'm _**not**_ his father," the swordsman snapped, shaking the magician off of his shoulders. "And how the hell would _**you**_ know, anyway? I could be a terrible role model."

The mage flashed the dark haired man one of those rare smiles, latching onto his arm.

"Makayla turned out okay," he replied. "And she grew up with you for a daddy."

The ninja raised an eyebrow.

"Makayla turned out like you," he responded, stifling a yawn as a wave of drowsiness washed over him. "A great actress but unable to fool those closest to her."

The wizard chuckled.

"I think she was most like you, actually," he returned. "Proud and caring."

Kurogane scowled at him.

"How the hell am _**I**_ 'caring'?" he snapped. The magician pecked his cheek.

"Whatever you say, Kuro-rin," he teased. The swordsman growled.

"How the hell can you be so cheerful?" he wondered aloud, staring at the smaller man. "You _**do**_ know what's happening today, right?"

The magus shivered slightly.

"Of course I do," he answered. "I'm cheerful because I'm trying to cheer you up!"

Kurogane sighed.

"Don't pretend, then," he suggested. "That just irritates me."

The wizard pouted.

"Meanie!"

"Actor!"

"Bully!"

"Idiot!"

"I hate you!"

The swordsman stopped. _Is that how he wants to play?_

Fai paled slightly, clapping his hands over his mouth as he realized what he'd said.

"Oh god Kuro-sama I swear I didn't mean it I'm so sorry!" he cried, horror filling his eyes. The ninja nodded once, turning and heading for the door before deciding against it and whirling around to glare at the magician, who paled slightly and hung his head. _Good god he's adorable._

"Moron," he snapped. The mage didn't look up. Sighing, the swordsman walked back toward him and gently taking hold of the wizard's chin, tilting it until they were looking each other in the eye. Fai glanced down at the floor again.

"Sorry," he muttered again. The swordsman sighed again.

"Think next time, dumbass," he scolded. "Or else I really will leave you here alone."

The magician still didn't look him in the eye.

"Sorry," he said a third time.

Annoyed, the swordsman leaned down and kissed him lightly.

"There," he muttered, flushing. "You're forgiven."

Fai looked at him again, smiling softly.

"Thank you," he whispered. Kurogane released his boyfriend's chin, turning and glancing out the door Seth had left through.

"We should finish getting ready," the mage suggested suddenly, reaching over and adjusting the swordsman's jacket. "Kuro-handsome looks wonderful, of course, but he should really wash his face so no one suspects he's been training in secret ever since Tomoyo and Makayla's passing because he can't manage to sleep."

The ninja flushed again.

"I've been sleeping fine, dammit!" he snapped. "And I haven't left that damn room in two weeks!"

Fai grinned.

"Of course not, Kuro-sweet," he teased. "But you should at least wipe that spot off your cheek before you tell the others that."

The swordsman's hand flew up instinctively, rubbing his right cheek roughly. The wizard chuckled.

"Hold on, I'll get it," he offered, licking his thumb and rubbing it against the ninja's left cheek, below his eyes. "See? Now, what'd you do without me?"

"Not be in the hospital for three fucking months," the dark haired man replied instantly. "First that stupid suicide attempt, then stressing the stitches in your lung, getting the shit beat outta you by a seventeen year old boy, getting kidnapped and injured even more by said boy, and then there were the injuries sustained fighting the same seventeen year old. Shit, it's as if all I've done since we arrived was sit in a hospital room all day."

The magician's face fell.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. Kurogane kicked himself mentally.

"Idiot," he growled. "I didn't mean it."

The wizard smiled up at him, but he was cut off by Seth's soft voice before he could say anything.

"Uncle Evron wants me to tell you both to stop making out and finish getting ready for Miss Tomoyo's funeral," he informed them. "It's in three minutes."

The swordsman growled, turning toward the four year old, who gazed up at him, a curious look on his face.

"What's 'making out' mean?" he asked inevitably. The ninja tensed slightly.

"It's something Mommies and Daddies do," Fai explained quickly, a mischievous gleam entering his eyes. "Perhaps Kuro-daddy would like to demonstrate?"

"Hell no," the swordsman snapped. "I'd _**like**_ to get this whole funeral buisness over with."

Seth tugged on his pant leg.

"What?!" he growled. The four year old managed a small smile.

"You guys look cool," he complimented. The ninja scowled.

"Us guys look like morons about to attend a funeral," he replied, crouching down and fixing the child's shirt again. "Do you have to use the bathroom?"

The child shook his had, uncharacteristically gloomy attitude returning.

"No," he muttered. "But my mommy… is she really being buried?"

The ninja's nodded once, brushing the boy's hair out of his eyes with one hand.

"And I'll never see her again?"

"Pretty much."

"So what'll I do now?"

The ninja narrowed his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he snapped. The child looked down at the floor.

"Well you don't want me," he muttered. "And I'm not allowed to stay with Uncle Evron or Grandpa or Aunt Kaylee."

"What makes you think we wouldn't want you?" Fai asked softly, crouching down beside the ninja. "Your our friend! If you need some place to go you can come with us!"

The four year old glanced at him hopefully.

"Really?" he questioned suspiciously. The magician grinned.

"Of course! Can't he come with us, Kuro-rin?"

The swordsman sighed in annoyance.

"Whatever," he muttered. "But you'll have to learn how to fight."

"I can do that!" the four year old assured him. Fai smiled again.

"Seth, why don't you go find Evron?" he suggested. "The funeral's starting."

The four year old's eyes widened as he nodded and dashed out of the room. Kurogane glanced up at his boyfriend before standing and stretching.

"Kuro-min," the mage complained, draping himself over the ninja's shoulders, " we're gonna be late!"

The swordsman nodded.

"Go without me, then," he snapped.

The mage glanced at him, surprise registering on his features

"Aren't you coming?" he asked, suspicion evident in his voice. The ninja growled softly.

"Of course I am," he replied sharply. "Why the hell wouldn't I?"

The magician stared at him for a moment before smiling brightly and walking toward the door, casting a glance back at the ninja, who stayed where he was. Kurogane waved sarcastically as the wizard started to walk back toward him.

"I'll be there in a minute," he promised, shoving his hands into the pockets of the suit he was wearing. The mage glanced at him again as he turned around and began walking back. The second he was gone the ninja turned and snuck out the other door, heading back toward their apartment, which was, coincidentally, only a block away from the cemetery. He quickly reached the building and slipped into the apartment, scanning the

first room for anything that seemed out of place. Everything seemed to be in place.

Sighing with relief, the dark haired man quickly moved into his room, ducking beneath his bed and grabbing a small cloth parcel underneath and shoving it into his pocket. Evron had told him that in this country they placed gifts on the coffins of the deceased, to be buried with them. He glanced around again as he grabbed Sohi and strapped it to his waist.

Slipping back out of the apartment, the ninja headed back to the cemetery, being careful to avoid anyone from the hospital, all of which would recognize him instantly. It took every ounce of self restraint for him to avoid removing his jacket in the oppressive heat that had settled in the noon sun.

By the time he'd reached the funeral service, Seth was sobbing and burying his head in Sakura's side. The swordsman pointedly ignored Fai's glare as he stood a short distance away, staring unseeingly at the coffin containing Tomoyo's body.

_That's… my fault._

"Hard to believe, isn't it, Kuro-bozu?"

The ninja narrowed his eyes, not bothering to turn toward Evron.

"What?" he snapped. The blonde chuckled.

"That you're _**late**_ for your own daughter's funeral," he replied. "Not to mention my mother's. Rude much?"

The swordsman didn't reply, moving forward to stand in between Seth and Fai.

"You're late," the wizard commented quietly, smiling. "What were you doing?"

The ninja stared at the two coffins in front of them.

"I had to get something," he muttered, pulling the parcel he'd gotten from the apartment and unwrapping it. "Evron was saying something about putting shit in graves for dead people yesterday, so…"

The wizard chuckled softly as he took the cloth from him, eyes widening in surprise.

"Kuro-rin, did you carve these yourself?" he asked in disbelief. "It must have taken weeks!"

Kurogane shrugged, taking the fabric and it's prizes from him.

"It wasn't that hard," he replied softly, moving forward as the service ended and the attendees began to leave. Fai moved forward with him, watching him closely as he placed two artifacts on each coffin before moving away, observing his handiwork. They were wooden miniatures of the sakura trees he'd known in Japan, carefully carved so they resembled the originals as closely as possible.

"They're beautiful," he whispered softly. The ninja flushed.

"Thanks," he whispered back.

"Fai-san! Kurogane-san!" Syaoran called to them from a few yards away. "We're going to get something to eat!"

The swordsman waved toward them abs mindedly, turning his gaze from the caskets to the mage, who smiled and took his hand.

"Let's go, Kuro-love," the magician suggested. Kurogane nodded, following after him as they walked after the others.

Behind them, the statues glowed cheerfully.

**A/N; This chapter was a pain to write. It took me a while because I'd write it, read it through. Decide it wasn't good enough, and then rewrite the whole thing. But I'm highly satisfied with it now, so I have uploaded it. I hope you enjoyed it despite the usual OOCness and sap.**

**Reviews make me smile and encourage speedy updates.**


	29. Aishiteru

_Disclaimer; I DON'T OWN THEM!! (Yet.)_

Aishiteru

Fai smiled brightly as the group walked toward the apartment in order to change before going to lunch. The funeral hadn't gone nearly as badly as he'd thought it'd go - in fact, the only thing that had been wrong was that Kurogane hadn't shown up until it was almost over. But he dismissed it, grinning as he grabbed his boyfriend's hand. It was for a good reason.

"Hey, Kuro-sama?" he asked, gazing up a the ninja. "What are we going to do about getting changed now?"

The swordsman raised an eyebrow at him.

"We change," he replied incredulously. "What kinda stupid ass question is that?"

The mage flushed.

"Well… that was okay before…" he muttered. "But…"

"But what?" the swordsman demanded. The magician flushed deeper.

"Nothing, Kuro-rin," he mumbled. "It's nothing…"

--

_This was a bad idea._

Kurogane gulped as he spotted Fai beginning to remove his shirt and turn to search through the closet for a new one. I had been simple enough to ignore when they were both in the hospital, confined to bed due to life-threatening injuries, but now that they were in their room, no bandages or nurses to block his view, the ninja found his gaze constantly returning to his boyfriend's shirtless body. _This was a __**really**__ bad idea._

"Hey Kuro-chan, is there a shirt in the dresser I can wear?" the wizard asked, turning toward him. Quickly returning his focus to the drawer he was supposed to be picking an outfit from, he grabbed the first shirt he saw and tossed it at the smaller man, grabbing a shirt of his own and a pair of jeans.

"Thanks!" the magus said cheerfully, lifting the shirt up to examine it. The ninja nodded dumbly, going over every line of the blonde man's upper body with his eyes so he could permanently engrave it into his memory.

"Hey, Kuro-mii, will you toss me some jeans?" he asked politely. The ninja tensed slightly as he tossed the magician his pants, quickly busying himself with changing out of his suit, even though he was watching his boyfriend closely out of the corner of his eye.

_Shit, he's… he's… he's…_

_Holy hell was this a bad idea. A wonderful, beautiful bad idea, but a bad idea all the same… ah hell…_

The swordsman flushed as he watched the smaller man, shedding his jacket and shirt before realizing he'd put the top he'd pulled out away on accident while he watched Fai get dressed. Sighing to himself, he turned back to the dresser and began searching through it for a shirt.

_This was a bad idea._

--

_This was a wonderful idea._

The mage watched Kurogane search through their dresser for a shirt with no small interest, burning the image of his naked torso in his mind's eye for later viewing. He looked beautiful, his tanned, muscular chest still beaded with sweat from the warm noon sun. The magician gulped, turning away quickly as the swordsman succeeded in retrieving a shirt and proceeded to put it on. Fai watched him out of the corner of his eye as he glanced uncertainly at the jeans he was holding. _C'mon Kuro-pii, don't run away…_

"I'll be right back," he muttered after a moment, turning and leaving the room. The wizard sighed, summoning up the image of his boyfriend topless.

_It was still a wonderful idea._

--

The ninja sighed as he retreated to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. He was ashamed of himself. A little skin, and he lost it. Hell, he should have been fine. After all, they'd been a couple what, a month and a half now? They'd been around one another practically naked for months, confined in that damn hospital room wearing those painfully revealing gowns.

_But it's not the same. Then, we couldn't have done anything, even if we wanted to. But now…_

No, it was definitely different. The hospital was one thing. The bedroom they'd been sharing before Fai's suicide attempt, where they were both in the process of undressing anyway with two beds nearby and a lock on their door that couldn't be opened from the outside and no security cameras, was another entirely.

The ninja stumbled slightly as he pulled his jeans off. _What the hell…?_

He shook his head in an attempt to clear it before successfully removing his pants and pulling his jeans on. The floor seemed to spin beneath him as he opened the door, sending him lurching head first into the opposite wall with a resounding crash.

The ninja gasped as his knees gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor. Footsteps sounded from somewhere close by, but he couldn't tell which direction they came from. His head spun.

_What the hell… is going on?_

"Kuro-sama?" Fai's soft voice came from around him, causing his head to spin even faster. "Kuro-woof, what happened?"

The swordsman groaned as he tried to force himself to his feet.

"I'm… fine," he muttered, pushing himself into a sitting position.

"Kuro-bozu! What the hell happened?"

The ninja winced at Evron's loud voice.

"It's nothing, Evron-chan," the mage lied hurriedly. "He's just tired. You should go without us."

Kurogane tried desperately to make out the rest of the conversation as his head spun even faster, making him feel slightly nauseous. His head throbbed again as he was hurled into unconsciousness.

--

Fai sighed as he watched over his boyfriend.

_The idiot! Not eating, not sleeping, pushing himself beyond his limits!_

It had taken a few minutes, but the others had agreed to go on with their plans for the day, armed with the knowledge the wizard expected souvenirs.

"Moron," he hissed at the unconscious ninja. "If you didn't feel well, don't force it away."

The swordsman groaned, sweat breaking out on his forehead. Cautiously, the magus felt his forehead. There was no fever.

"Are you having a nightmare, Kuro-rinta?" he asked softly, taking the unconscious man's hand and squeezing it comfortingly. The ninja groaned.

--

_What… the hell?_

"_Kurogane-sama!"_

_The swordsman turned and scowled at Makayla._

"_What?" he snapped. The twenty-one year old pouted._

"_Kurogane, you should treat her more nicely," a soft voice came from behind him._

"_Tomoyo-hime!"_

_The dark haired woman shook her head._

"_In your world, perhaps," she murmured sadly. "But not here. Here…"_

_The woman shuddered once, blood pouring from her mouth, a sword buried in her throat._

"_Here, I'm the woman you killed in front of her own son," she whispered. "Are you really any better than the one who killed your mother?"_

"_No," Makayla's voice came from beside him. "He's worse. But that's okay!"_

_He stared at the writer in horror. Her chest was cut wide open, the area her heart and lung should occupy empty and bleeding profusely. The swordsman backed away slowly._

"_I- I-" he stuttered. "I didn't-"_

"_Didn't what?" Evron appeared beside his mother, red eyes burning with hatred. "Didn't murder her for trying to protect me?"_

"_No!"_

"_Mommy!"_

_Kurogane jumped as Seth appeared out of nowhere, hugging his mother's leg._

"_Seth," the author cried cheerfully. "How are you?"_

"_Mommy, you're hurt!"_

"_I'm fine!" she contradicted. "I'm just a little… a … little…"_

_The girl's face drained completely of color._

"_Seth… I hafta go… okay?" she said, blood pouring from her mouth. "Kurogane-sama and Fai… will take care of you…"_

"_Don't bother, Makayla. This coward will __**never**__ be able to take care of Seth," Evron growled._

"_He certainly has a way with kids, doesn't he?" Tomoyo commented, blood still dripping from the sword in her throat. "He does to them what was done to him… sad, really. He's no better than… him…"_

"_No!" the swordsman cried. "It was an accident, I swear!"_

"_You… did this… Kurogane…"_

_The ninja's eyes filled with tears as Tomoyo moved forward._

"_You… did this… to me… and Makayla…"_

"_No…"_

"_Do you truly hate us that much?"_

"_No!"_

"_Then why'd you do it?!"_

"_Because I'm weak!"_

_The tears he'd been holding back spilled over the edges of his eyes._

"_I did it because I was too weak to save you both."_

"_Kuro-rin…"_

_The ninja glanced up at the sound of Fai's voice._

"_Fai… I'll protect you."_

_Makayla smiled._

"_Take care of him, to-san," she warned. Tomoyo nodded in agreement._

"_Don't let him run away," she added. The ninja stared at them a moment before nodding._

"_You can count on it."_

--

"Fai… aishiteru."

The mage jumped, turning toward where the ninja lay. He was sitting up now, legs hanging over the edge of his bed and a determined look in his eyes.

"Aishiteru," he repeated. "In my language… it means 'I love you'."

The wizard cocked his head to one side.

"Aishi…teru?" he echoed softly. Kurogane nodded.

"Aishiteru."

The mage grinned widely.

"Well then," he said, pulling the ninja to his feet, "aishiteru, Kuro-min."

The swordsman grinned, pulling his boyfriend in close and kissing him roughly. The mage gasped as the ninja's tongue explored the inside of his mouth. He thought he could like where this was going.

He grinned as his hands found themselves to the swordsman's jeans and began unzipping them.

Oh yes. He _**definitely**_ liked where this was going.

**A/N; And I'll leave the rest up to your imagination. And before anyone comments on it - I am very aware of the fact "aishiteru" would have been translated, but that wouldn't work as well, see.**

**Reviews are wonderful things. They really are.**


	30. Manjuu And Movies

_Disclaimer; I'm __**THIRTEEN**__, people. I lack the mental stability required to own _Tsubasa_. Sadly._

Manjuu And Movies

Kurogane woke with a start as the front door slammed shut. His head throbbed as he tried to sit up, but found his progress impended by Fai, who was using his chest as a pillow. Growling softly, the swordsman watched his lover as he slept, a satisfied smile resting easily on his lips. The ninja rolled his eyes, settling back onto his pillows. He assumed the others had arrived home and, judging by the slamming of the front door, someone had just left, meaning they'd been home… he glanced at his clock.

_It's 10:15?!_ he thought, alarmed by how late he'd slept. _Holy shit!_

His stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, alerting him to the fact he was starving. _Not surprising, all things considered._

The ninja glanced at Fai again, smiling to himself. The magician looked beautiful, his hair splayed across the ninja's chest, forming a halo around him. He pulled the wizard closer, cupping his hand around his lover's chin and leaning down to kiss him softly.

His stomach growled again as he sat up, and, sighing in annoyance, the swordsman carefully slid out of bed, lying his boyfriends head on his pillows gently before grabbing a pair of jeans and pulling them on. An appetizing aroma drifted into he room as he opened the door, causing his mouth to water slightly. Glancing back to make sure Fai was still asleep, he slipped out of the room, heading down the hall for the kitchen. The swordsman poked his head in on Sakura and Syaoran as he passed their room, unsurprised to find the princess sleeping and the archeologist dozing off beside her. Closing the door softly, he continued down the hall, becoming aware of the soft sound of people talking. Scowling, the ninja slipped into the living room.

Seth was curled up on the couch, fast asleep. The T.V was on, playing a movie of some kind. Curious, the swordsman watched it for a few moments. It was poorly made, he decided. As of yet the only two characters he'd seen were a teenage girl with long brown hair and a boy of about he same age with red hair. They appeared to be talking about something as they walked down the street, the girl smiling softly and the boy grinning broadly. Frowning, the ninja turned the volume up slightly so he could make them out.

"_So you're planning on going back home soon?_" the boy asked, grin fading slightly. The brunette grinned up at him.

"_Yeah. My brother and I hafta leave tomorrow,_" she confirmed. "_Don't worry, Jake, we'll come back._"

The boy's grin faded completely, replaced by a scowl.

"_You say that,_" he snapped, "_but you don't mean it._"

The swordsman grinned to himself. The girl reminded him of Fai in a weird, same-but-not-the-same kinda way.

"Are you enjoying the video?"

Kurogane jumped slightly, turning to face Evron.

"Are you?" he asked, walking over to Seth and throwing a blanket over him. The ninja shrugged.

"Crappily made," he replied. "Poor sound quality. Nice visuals, though."

The blonde chuckled.

"Yeah," he agreed. "But it's not finished. Hey, there's me!"

The swordsman turned back to the T.V, watching as the teen chased after the girl and her companion.

"_Jason!_" the girl cried, startled. "_What are you doing here? I thought you were packing!_"

"_Mayu, we have a problem,_" the blonde boy said hurriedly. "_Silencers have been spotted in the area. We hafta go, __**now**__._"

Something stirred inside the ninja's memory.

"Mayu… and Jason?" he repeated the names slowly. "Those… are the names of the characters in Makayla's book."

Evron smiled sadly.

"I know," he replied softly, turning the T.V down. "This is the completed version of her movie. _An Angel's Tears_. We finished it the night before the accident… she just never got a chance to finish cleaning it up."

The swordsman didn't reply, watching a bit more of the video before his stomach growled again, penetrating the awkward silence that had fallen over them. It didn't help that the same appetizing aroma he'd caught a whiff of earlier snuck its way into his senses again. Evron laughed.

"Hungry?" he mocked. "Figures."

Kurogane growled at him, turning and heading for the kitchen. The aroma strengthened as he got closer, and he was quickly able to identify it.

_Manjuu?_

"Kuro-bozu, if you eat any of those you're paying for them!"

_Damn him._

Casting a quick glance back to make sure the teen wasn't following him as he slipped into the kitchen, grabbing one of the steaming buns and opening the fridge. His mouth watered as he bit into the pastry.

"Leftovers from lunch are in the bottom drawer," Evron's voice came from behind him. "And that bun'll cost you six dollars."

The swordsman growled as he turned toward the blonde.

"It's a joke, moron," the blonde scoffed. "But seriously, ask first. Those're Seth and Sakura's."

"Really," the ninja stated. "Well then, may I have one?"

The boy smiled brightly, ignoring the sarcasm in the dark haired man's voice.

"Sure," he consented. "Take a couple for Fai, too, I'm sure he'll be hungry when he wakes up."

The ninja's eyes narrowed as he snatched a few more of the manjuu and headed back to his room, making a mental note to get the recipe from the teenager before they left. He didn't cook very often, since it was a woman's activity, but dammit all if he let that annoying ass outdo him in anything.

Fai was awake when he reached their room, and the swordsman grinned lopsidedly as he sat beside him.

"Good morning, Kuro-sama," he greeted cheerfully, cuddling up against the ninja, who scoffed at him.

"Still nighttime, moron," he growled affectionately. "Here."

The magician sniffed the manjuu once before snatching them from him and practically swallowed them whole.

"Hungry much?" the ninja asked sarcastically, lying back onto his pillows. The wizard grinned at him.

"Starved, actually," he admitted, lying his head on the larger man's shoulder. "And tired…"

"Then why were you up?!" the ninja hissed. Fai grinned up at him again.

"That was 'cause Kuro-sexy left."

The swordsman didn't reply, instead gripping his lover closer to his chest.

"You're warm," he noted, allowing his mind to drift away.

"Mm," the magician mumbled. "So are you."

The ninja nodded absently, yawning.

"Love you, Kuro-chan."

The dark haired man smiled softly.

"I love you, too."

**A/N; There, a short little bit of pointless sap, right there at the very end. And for those who wanted one - I can't write lemons. I mean, I have the ability, but I just… can't. So you'll have to settle for what you get. I'm sorry. Really, I am. To be honest, though, I was kinda looking forward to having a moment with just Evron and Kurogane-sama after Evron stopped being a psycho. It didn't turn out that bad, did it? I mean, it was short, but it existed.**

**Reviews are always appreciated, no matter how negative, positive, long, or short.**


	31. Epilogue A Nightmare

_Disclaimer; I. Don't. Own. _Tsubasa_._

Epilogue: A Nightmare

_Pain lanced through the wizard's body. Blinding, white hot pain with no outlet, reminding him of what he'd done, of what he had chosen. His breath caught in his throat. He could have prevented this. He __**should**__ have prevented it. It was all his fault. Fai forced himself to look away from the destruction before him_

"_No…" he muttered softly, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Please God, no… not again…"_

"_Fai, calm down," a rough yet gentle voice whispered soothingly. "It's fine. It's just a dream."_

_The wizard searched the surrounding landscape for thee source of the voice, but he was embraced by a pair of strong, warm arms, disabling him effectively._

"_Go away…" he muttered. "I… don't want to hurt you, too…"_

"_You won't," the voice said softly. "And I won't let anything hurt you."_

_The magician sobbed, clutching at the strangers shirt and sobbing, shoulders shaking violently._

"_You'll get hurt…" he whimpered. "And then you'll hate me…"_

"_I'd never hate you. Moron." The gentle assurance startled the wizard, and he buried his head in the newcomer's chest._

"_Why do you care?" he sobbed. "I'm nothing, a useless waste of skin. I'll only burden you."_

"_You'll never be a burden," the voice snapped. "__**Never.**__"_

_The magus chuckled ruefully._

"_Why do you care?" he asked again. He suddenly found himself staring into twin pools of deep crimson._

_**Kuro-rin?**_

"_Because I love you," the swordsman whispered softly, leaning in and kissing him gently. The mage froze, eyes opening wide as the ninja pulled away._

"_I love you," he repeated, pulling the wizard close. Fai buried his head in the dark haired man's chest again._

"_I love you, too," he murmured. "I mean it."_

The magician opened his eyes slowly, in time for Kurogane to lean in for another kiss.

"I know that, moron."

**A/N; And thus ends **_**By Your Side**_**, the child born in my mind and nurtured by your loving? reviews. And as much as it hurts me to let her go and grow to all that she can be, it's time for me to let her be. (sobs) Now I know how my mom feels whenever I talk to her about moving away for college. I feel so lonely… but now, I leave my baby in your hands. Take good care of her!**

**Side note; Yeah, I consider her a girl. And if I write a sequel it will be her baby brother. And yes, I consider my stories my kids. Is that a problem?**

**Like always, reviews are welcomed.**


	32. Chapter 1 Of Last Night

_Disclaimer; I don't own _Tsubasa_.  
Why am I doing this? In part, it's to see how many of you click on the alert link and review this. Another part is that I decided that _Last Night_ needed some promotion. So.... enjoy the first chapter!_

Tomoyo's Warning

_Blood. I can see blood on his face, staining his ivory white skin as he is held up by the _**other**_ kid, and I can see his blood on the other kid's fingers, and on the edges of his mouth, and I can see his jaw working slowly, can hear the soft crunch as he chewed whatever was in his mouth, glance at him again, with blood streaming from his right eye socket, which I can see now is empty, and with a sickened jolt I realized what had happened. I tried to scream his name, tried t shout at the other kid to stop, but I couldn't speak, couldn't even move, as the other kid reached down towards his face again, blood soaked fingers digging into his eye socket. He let out a hellish scream as the slim fingers plucked out his other eye before falling limp, and suddenly I could see myself, sprinting towards the two of them, a look I'd never thought I could wear on my face, and I could speak, and at the same moment my double and I screamed out the same thing._

_ "_**FAI!!!**_"_

_ I watched in horror as the other kid, the kid who looked and sounded like the kid but _**wasn't the kid**_, tossed the mage's limp form aside and struck out at the other me, but there was a crazed look in my double's eye as he drew Sohi and sliced through the other kid's shin in one swift movement. I tried to shout, to help my double, because I knew _**exactly**_ how he was feeling, because I was feeling it, too, but someone held me back as I tried to leap forward, and I whirled around to face whoever dared stop me._

_ "Hello, Kurogane."_

_ I stared at Tomoyo-hime, blinking once in surprise as she released my elbow._

_ "They can't see you, Kurogane," she said softly. "This is a dream. You can't help them, and even if you could…"_

_ I turned instantly as a low growl echoed from behind me, wincing at the sight of the other me pinning the other kid, the fake, against the wall, the crazed look that had been in his eye having spread across his features. A short distance away, the manjuu was cradled against the wizard's body, loud sobs racking his puny form. I didn't have to be awake to know the mage was… not well._

_ "It's already too late," Tomoyo-hime finished sadly. "But remember, Kurogane, this is a dream, a premonition I've been having for a time now. Yuuko-san agreed to allow me to warn you, because if this comes to pass…"_

_ She stopped, turning and smiling suddenly._

_ "But that won't happen, will it?" she asked, reaching out and poking my forehead. "Not with the big bad ninja on the job. So, do you know what I have to tell you?"_

_ I shut my eyes quickly, turning my attention back to her._

_ "That if I'm not careful something fucked up'll happen?" I snapped, growling softly. "I already knew that."_

_ My princess smiled sadly._

_ "No," she contradicted, a sharp edge to her voice. "I can't tell you, exactly – something about interference. But I _**can**_ warn you that this-" She gestured towards the scene behind her, smile vanishing completely. "I can warn you that this _**will**_ take place in 24 hours… or less."_

_ I glanced at the nightmare surrounding us before shutting my eyes to it and returning my focus to Tomoyo-hime._

_ "So what do I do to prevent it?" I snapped. My princess's sorrowful smile returned as she shook her head._

_ "I don't know," she replied sadly. "What do you think you can do?"_

_ I scowled at the uselessness of her words, glancing up at the ceiling of the chamber we were standing in._

_ "Oh, Kurogane," my princess said suddenly. I turned back toward her, scoffing at the sudden cheeriness of her voice._

_ "What?" I barked, glancing cautiously around me. It felt as if the room was spinning, and the images began to blur. I turned back to my princess, raising an eyebrow in a silent inquiry._

_ "Good morning!"_

---

I blinked awake quickly as the mage landed in my chest with an irritating thump, an insane grin on his face, sparkling blue eyes twinkling playfully.

"Good morning, Kuro-sama!" he greeted cheerfully, leaning down and kissing my cheek softly. "Ready to go find us a feather?"

I growled, shoving him off of me and glaring at the sun of this new world. Acid rains were already falling, weathering away at the collapsed buildings around us, the nightmare still playing in front of my eyes.

_24 hours 'til Hell._


End file.
